If you’re thinking about adding a skylight to your property, we know it can be tricky to understand the legal complications around planning permission.
To give you a helping hand, we’ve got together a whistlestop tour of skylight (or rooflight) planning permission and what you really need to know before you get one installed.
Do I need planning permission to install a skylight?
You don’t need to apply for planning permission if you live in England and Wales. There may be exceptions (see our information about listed homes), but this is generally the case.
Your skylight needs to be safe
Although you don’t need planning permission to install a skylight, there are certain restrictions in place to ensure your home is safe. Your builder or installation team needs to make sure the size and scope of your skylight is sensible. The government’s Planning Portal maintains that:
No alteration can be greater than the highest part of your existing roof
Any alteration you make cannot project more than 150 millimetres from the existing roof plane
Any side-facing windows must be obscure glazed – with any opening to be made 1.7 metres above the floor
The team you choose should be well versed in these restrictions, but if you’re unsure get in touch with the Planning Portal who can advise you.
The important bit… You need to make sure your skylight complies with all of the above points. If it fails on one or more, your development won’t pass an inspection.
You need to consider Building Regulations
Even though skylights are considered to be an aesthetic improvement (rather than a structural one), there are guidelines in place that you’ll need approval for from Building Regulations.
If you’re working with a builder or an installation team, they normally handle this process. But if you’re taking on the project yourself, here’s a quick guide to how it generally looks:
1. Before the work begins, make sure you put forward a Building control application to the Planning Portal. This will inform your local authority of the work you’re planning.
2. Your local authority will need to make inspections at certain stages to ensure the work is safe and compliant. They’ll inform you on the stages and timings of this.
3. Decide whether you’d prefer your local authority or the private sector to approve your building work. This is completely up to you, but take a look at the Planning Portal if you need more information.
Your building control application
For skylights, there are certain considerations you, your builder or your installation team need to highlight in the application. The Building Regulation standard focuses on whether your new skylight is energy efficient, gives you thermal insulation and meets with fire regulations. It also sets a maximum u-value for any building work performed. In recent years, a lot of emphasis has been put on how heat-efficient our homes are. U-values are used to represent how much heat your house loses – a higher figure equals more heat loss.
Other considerations you’ll also need to include in your application are:
Does the roof structure need altering to install a rooflight?
Can the roof carry the weight of a new skylight? Or does it need to be strengthened?
Take a look at Parts J and L of the Building Regulation standards for more information.
What about listed homes or conservation areas?
Before you start any home renovations or skylight project, check with your local planning authority if you have an Article 4 Direction. These tend to apply to buildings of acknowledged importance – including those in conservation areas. Article 4 Directions remove your right to carry out any permitted developments. You’ll need to apply for planning permission to add a skylight, which can be a lengthy process.
Adding a skylight to your home
We’ve supplied beautiful and original skylights for houses both big and small. Whether you’re considering your first skylight or you’ve added one to your home before, we can help.
All of our skylights are designed to meet building regulations, offering you double or triple glazing and the option to add solar glass to your solution. In terms of colour, you can choose between white, grey, black, grey on white (grey outside and white inside) or black on white. Just get in touch and friendly team can help guide you through the process.
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