England’s Planning Permission Postcode Lottery Revealed

2020 has been a year of enormous change for all of us. As working from home has rapidly become the “new normal” for millions across Britain, many homeowners are now choosing to improve not move. However, for prospective renovators looking to gain some extra living space, large home renovations such as loft conversions or extensions often require planning permission. Unfortunately, this is where homeowners often run into what is often called the “postcode lottery”.

We’ve looked at three years’ worth of planning application data from the Ministry of Housing for over 300 local authorities across England to uncover where homeowners are most and least likely to have planning permission granted. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 8 of our 10 Hardest Places to Get Planning Permission in England are in London. What was most shocking however, is that in the past three years, Londoners have wasted £21 million on failed applications. In fact, when looking at the country as a whole, that figure rises to a staggering £64 million!

There are many factors that affect how likely a planning application is to be granted. These can include objections from neighbours, along with the specific building regulations, planning constraints and development targets in your local area. Quite opposite to the figures in the nation’s capital, we also identified the 10 Easiest Places to Get Planning Permission in England. As you may have expected, whereas Londoners face the greatest difficulty, Northern areas face the fewest rejections thanks to far more relaxed planning restrictions.

Here at Roofing Megastore, our ethos has always been to simplify the process of improving your home by breaking down barriers to entry and providing trade prices for everyone. That’s why we were determined to release this study, which we hope will help homeowners navigate the costly and time-consuming planning application process more easily, and potentially save them thousands of pounds.

View the full study to discover more: https://www.roofingmegastore.co.uk/easiest-hardest-cities-planning-permission