Are You Going To Need Planning Permission For A Solid Roof?

Until solid tiled roofs were created, there was very little you could do to resolve the issue of a conservatory overheating in summer or becoming exceptionally cold during the winter months.

Conservatories everywhere would sit abandoned for months on end, so as you can imagine, this thermally insulating roof covering was welcomed with open arms by householders when it came into being a few years ago.

Our solid roof range is vastly popular, with conservatory owners throughout West Yorkshire frantically keen to have one of these systems affixed to their extension.

What some aren’t aware of though is that a solid roof installation often needs planning permission, prior to being fitted. Several other guidelines apply too.

• If you are replacing a traditional glass or polycarbonate translucent roof with a solid roof, you will need to get Building Regulatory Approval before you do anything else.

• Not all solid roofing systems receive Building Regulatory Approval. You stand a better chance of getting it when you buy a solid roof that has been endorsed by LABC (Local Authority Building Control) and LABSS (Local Authority Building Standards Scotland) for being a safe and suitable building product. The UltraRoof is one of a select few solid roofs to have been acknowledged in this way by LABC and LABSS. The Building Control Officer can ask you to modify the roof and add roof and trickle vents for ventilation to make the system observe the rules.

• Upgrading from a glass roof to a solid roof triggers what is called “a change of use”. What that symbolises is that by exchanging these roofing systems, you are turning what was previously a temporary extension into a permanent extension. In the event of a “change of use”, you will need to apply for planning permission.

• To be allowed to have the conservatory built in the first place, you may have needed to get planning approval at the time. If this is the case, and your conservatory currently has a translucent roof, planning permission will be necessary, and you will also have to make a full building regulations application.

• Are you able to recall if your conservatory enjoyed Permitted Development Rights? If it did, you would have been permitted to have it fitted without planning permission as it obviously complied with the numerous limits and conditions attached. However, it won’t be a Permitted Development once you have a solid roof installed, meaning that you will have to apply for planning permission.

To avoid breaking any rules with your proposed solid roof installation, reach out to your local authority building control team for support. Head to the LABC website where you can find the relevant contact details.

Visual will offer similarly incisive guidance on solid roofs and make sure that you don’t find yourself in trouble.