Planning permission conditions and possible unfinished works

Joined
25 Apr 2024
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Country
United Kingdom
We are in the process of purchasing a new house.
The house has a single storey extension over the attached garage to one side of the building to add a bedroom, and a small extension to the rear used as a dining room. The bedroom extension does not extend the full length of the garage and there is a utility area to the rear on the ground floor.

I have checked the planning application and the drawings of the drawings. In both, the intention is explicitly set out to reroof the dining room, and the utility room concurrently with building the bedroom extension. The planning permission was approved with conditions, one of which was that the work was carried out as per the attached drawings. The re-roof was not completed, the upper extension completed and as far as I am aware so far, with all the necessary Building Control sign offs.

However, when we have conducted our survey, the flat roof to the utility room has been noted as in need of immediate repair or replacement, as "it could leak at anytime" and the timber supports are bowing. The photographs provided by the survey support that the works was not completed as per the proposed plans. We have raised all this to our solicitor with all paperwork etc included.

My question is, what is the likely outcome here? A retrospective submission of updated drawings to the LA? Instruction to complete all the work as per the conditions of the PP approval- who would be required to do this, the seller or us? The cost of needing to replace the flat roof is not an issue for us, rather the concern that we may be purchasing a house which is in breach of its planning and may be saddled with a larger bill to finish the work- or being told to remove the extensions, both of which were reasons we chose the house!
 
There is no requirement or time limits to complete any planning permission once the work is commenced. So, if work is generally in accordance with the approved plan apart from not being fully complete, then its fine.

Building that is not in accordance with the approved plan (or planning conditions) is a different matter and needs assessing in context of the severity of the difference or non-compliance, the time since the breach of compliance and the likelihood of the planners enforcing. There are limits as to what planners can enforce and how long they have to do it.
 
Back
Top