[jaffab]

Hi all,

Can anybody offer guidance on the need for planning permission for the above structures on a smallholding?   Have been reading various official and legal web sites, and got to the point that they have started to contradict each other.

So details:

SMALLHOLDING: 11.7 acres in Carmarthenshire.  Not listed.   Not in any special interest areas.   Main house (and therefore the buildings below) well away from the road and other peoples buildings.  Small holding is HOBBY only, not commercial.

GREENHOUSES: Looking to build 2 x glass greenhouses - 12ft x 20ft.  They would be placed to the side of the property (around  30meters from the main house, 15 meters from the nearest outbuilding, and about 15meters from the nearest property boundary)

POLLYTUNNEL : Again, looking to build 2 x plastic polly tunnels - 2 meters by 6 meters.   Standard pole in the ground construction.  Placed next to greenhouses (moving towards back of the property rather than towards the front)

FRUIT CAGES: These will be made from 'in the ground' poles frame, with netting over it.   Looking at 1 or 2, around 20ft x 60ft - placed next to pollytunnels

POND: There is a large area of land at the FRONT of the property which we would like to put in a pond.   In some places I have visited it seems to suggest that ponds need planning permission, and in others, they dont.   Pond wont be that large - maybe 10 meters x 20 meters.

So, do these need planning permission?   From what I have read, I can see a 'call' to the local planning department seems to generally get a 'if in doubt, submit a planning application' response, which then triggers costs of £150 for the  initial application and then (depending on the web site I visit) £350 per building?

Can anybody comment/offer advice?

Many thanks in advance

[jaffab]

Unless I read things incorrectly, all of the above should be allowed without planning permission based on this Carmarthen Council web site (extract below):

http://www.planningportal.co.uk/wales_en/info/3/common_projects/34/outbuildings

New regulations came into force on 30 September 2013 which changed the building work which can be done without needing to apply for planning permission. The Welsh Government has produced a technical guide, and a householder guide, available here, to help you understand how permitted development rules might apply to your circumstances.

Rules governing outbuildings apply to sheds, greenhouses and garages as well as other ancillary garden buildings such as swimming pools, ponds, sauna cabins, kennels, enclosures (including tennis courts) and many other kinds of structure for a purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse.

Other rules relate to the installation of a satellite dish, the erection of a new dwelling or the erection or provision of fuel storage tanks.

Outbuildings are considered to be permitted development, not needing planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:

Siting

The total area of ground covered by outbuildings cannot exceed 50% of the total area of the curtilage
Outbuildings cannot be located in front of the building line of the principal elevation
Outbuildings cannot extend beyond the side elevation of the house when the development would be any closer to a highway than the existing house, or at least 5 metres from the highway – whichever is nearest
Any part of the development within 2 metres of a boundary of the house cannot exceed a height of 2.5 metres
Any part of the development within 2 metres of the house cannot exceed a height of 1.5 metres 
Height

Outbuildings cannot exceed more than one storey
The height of an outbuilding cannot exceed 4 metres when the building has more than one pitch (eg dual pitch and hipped roofs)
The height cannot exceed 3 metres when the building has a single pitch or other roof form
Flat roof buildings cannot exceed 2.5 metres in height
Eaves height of the building cannot exceed 2.5m

[macgro7]

Don't worry about planning permission for fruit cages or polytunells - upto 2 or 2.5m high you don't need any planning permission at all.
My polytunnel is 10m long, 3m wide and 2m high. I'm in the middle of the city, it is clearly visible and I didn't need any permissions.

[Backinwellies]

your pond may well need planning ..... and will probably need an environmental impact assessment .

Not sure why you are opting for glasshouses?  Most people here just have large polytunnels .

I think you will find planning changes depending on whether it is in garden or on smallholding land

[ZacB]

Unless you’re likely to upset someone I’d just crack on.