Planning a loft conversion in Nottingham
Whether your loft needs a planning application comes down to your street, your type of home and the size of the conversion. Here’s how it works in the city, and what we take care of.
- Planning authority
- Nottingham City Council, for the whole city including Wollaton
- Conservation areas
- 33, from the Lace Market to Wollaton Village
- No permitted development
- For flats, or for roof extensions in a conservation area
The starting point
Permitted development or a planning application?
Many loft conversions on Nottingham houses don’t need a planning application at all. National rules called permitted development allow a roof extension, such as a rear dormer or a hip to gable, as long as it stays within set limits on size, position and materials.
Those rights don’t apply everywhere. A house in one of the city’s conservation areas loses them for roof extensions, flats never have them, and some properties have had extra rights removed by an Article 4 direction. In those cases the design goes to Nottingham City Council as a planning application.
Every conversion, with or without planning permission, still needs building regulations approval. We arrange that for you through private building control.
Conservation areas
Nottingham’s 33 conservation areas
Inside any of these areas, a dormer or hip to gable conversion isn’t permitted development, so it needs a planning application.
- Arboretum
- Basford Hall
- Bulwell
- Canal
- Canning Circus
- Castle
- Clifton Village
- Elm Avenue-Corporation Oaks
- Forest Grove
- Gamble Street-Alfreton Road
- Hine Hall
- Lace Market
- Mapperley Hospital
- Mapperley Park and Alexandra Park
- New Lenton
- Old Lenton
- Old Market Square
- Old Meadows
- Sherwood Rise
- Sneinton
- Sneinton Market
- Star Buildings
- Station
- Strelley
- Sutton Passeys
- The Cedars
- The Park
- Waterloo Promenade
- Wellington Circus
- Wilford House
- Wilford Village
- Wollaton Park
- Wollaton Village
Three of them are in Wollaton: Wollaton Village around St Leonard’s Church, Wollaton Park, and Sutton Passeys, the 1920s estate around Farndon Green. The council publishes maps of every area, and we check your address against them before any design work starts.
Conservation area maps from Nottingham City Council (opens in a new tab)Article 4 directions
When smaller changes need permission too
An Article 4 direction is an order from the council that removes some permitted development rights in a particular place, so work that would normally go ahead without an application needs one.
In Nottingham, some properties, including on Waterloo Promenade and in Sneinton, are covered by directions that bring smaller changes under planning control. If your home is one of them, even modest roof alterations can need permission, so it’s worth knowing early. We check as part of the survey.
The design guide
What the council looks for in a dormer
When a loft conversion needs a planning application, Nottingham City Council judges it against its householder design guide. The guide is about dormers that look as if they belong to the house rather than dominate it.
We draw the dormer with those points in mind from the start, which keeps the application straightforward. In a conservation area, that often means a smaller dormer with a pitched roof rather than a full-width box.
Wollaton
Crane houses in Sutton Passeys
Many of the 1920s bungalows around Farndon Green in Sutton Passeys are Crane houses, built with a metal frame and precast concrete wall slabs instead of brick. Their structure has to be assessed by a specialist before a loft conversion can be designed.
Sutton Passeys is also a conservation area, so any roof extension there needs planning permission. If you live in one of these bungalows, tell us when you get in touch, as it changes the survey we arrange.
What we handle
How we take care of the approvals
You deal with one team for the design, the paperwork and the build.
- 01
Address checks
Conservation areas, Article 4 directions and listed status are checked before anything is drawn.
- 02
A design that fits
The conversion is drawn to the permitted development limits, or to the design guide where an application is needed.
- 03
Planning drawings
If your home needs permission, we prepare the drawings for the application to the city council.
- 04
Calculations
A structural engineer produces the calculations and drawings that building control needs.
- 05
Building control
We manage private building control, including the submissions and the inspections during the build.
- 06
Completion
Once the final inspection is passed, the work is signed off and you have the paperwork for your records.
Not sure which rules apply to your house?
Send us your address and what you have in mind, and we’ll tell you where you stand.
FAQs
Planning questions from Nottingham homeowners
How do I find out if my home is in a conservation area?
Nottingham City Council publishes maps of all 33 conservation areas on its website. We also check your address as part of our survey, together with Article 4 directions and listed building status.
Can I build a dormer at the front of my house?
A dormer on a roof slope that faces the road isn’t permitted development, so it would need planning permission, and the council’s design guide expects dormers to be set back from the front wall. Most dormers in the city are built at the back.
My home is a flat. Can the loft be converted?
Flats don’t have householder permitted development rights, so a roof extension on a flat always needs a planning application. Talk to us about your building and we’ll explain what’s involved.
Does a loft conversion need building regulations approval even without planning permission?
Yes, always. Building regulations cover the structure, fire safety, insulation, ventilation, drainage and electrics. We manage the approval and the inspections through private building control.
Still have a question? Call 07925 891 170 or send us a message.
Free quote
Start your Nottingham loft conversion
A few details about the house and what you’d like from the loft are all we need to begin.
What happens next
- 1We read it throughSomeone from our team looks at what you’ve sent about the house and your plans.
- 2We call you backWe talk through what you have in mind and answer your first questions.
- 3We visit and quoteWe survey the loft, check your street’s planning position and send a detailed, free quote.