Expert Blogs | Design & Planning Insights

Loft conversion planning permission in London guide by ARM Design & Build

Loft Conversion Planning Permission in London: Do You Need It? (2026 Guide)

Most loft conversions in London don’t need a planning application. Here are the permitted development rules for volume, height, dormers and side windows, and when you do need planning permission.

Labour’s Proposed ‘Mandatory Architect’ Rule for Extensions: What It Actually Means for Your Project

If you have been researching a home extension recently, you may have seen headlines suggesting that the government wants to make hiring a qualified architect compulsory for planning applications. It is an understandable source of worry. For most homeowners, an extension is already the largest single investment they will make…

A modern single-storey rear extension with sliding glass doors and skylight on a British semi-detached house, a typical permitted development project

Do I Need Planning Permission for a Rear Extension? UK Permitted Development Rules Explained for 2026

Short answer: probably not. Most rear extensions in England can be built without planning permission, under what’s called permitted development. Long answer: it depends on how big, how tall, where you live, what was built before you owned the place, and a handful of other things that catch people out…

Prior Approval for a Larger Home Extension: What UK Homeowners Need to Know

So you’ve got a clear picture in your head of the extension you want — and then someone tells you it’s too big for permitted development. Frustrating, but not necessarily the end of the road. There’s a planning route you might not have heard of yet: prior approval for a…

Lawful Development Certificate vs Planning Permission: Which Do You Actually Need?

If you’re planning any kind of work to your property — an extension, a loft conversion, a change of use — you’ve probably already Googled “do I need planning permission?” And you may have come across something called a lawful development certificate instead. The two are often confused, and honestly,…

Loft Conversion Manchester 2026: The Honest Guide Every Homeowner Needs Before They Start

You know that feeling when you’re standing in your hallway, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what on earth is going on in that dusty space above you? We’ve had that conversation with hundreds of homeowners across Manchester, and every single one of them said the same thing: “I had…

Blogs

Loft Conversion Planning Permission in London: Do You Need It? (2026 Guide)

Labour’s Proposed ‘Mandatory Architect’ Rule for Extensions: What It Actually Means for Your Project

Do I Need Planning Permission for a Rear Extension? UK Permitted Development Rules Explained for 2026

Prior Approval for a Larger Home Extension: What UK Homeowners Need to Know

Lawful Development Certificate vs Planning Permission: Which Do You Actually Need?

Loft Conversion Manchester 2026: The Honest Guide Every Homeowner Needs Before They Start

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