Porches

The planning rules for porches are applicable to any external door to the dwellinghouse.

Adding a porch to any external door of your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided:

1. the ground floor area (measured externally) would not exceed three square metres.
2. no part would be more than three metres above ground level (height needs to be measured in the same way as for a house extension).
3. no part of the porch would be within two metres of any boundary of the dwellinghouse and the highway.

Please note: The permitted development allowances described here apply to houses and not to:

• Flats and maisonettes (view our guidance on flats and maisonettes¹) 
• Converted houses or houses created through the ‘permitted development’ rights for:
  • ‘Changes of use’ (Schedule 2, Part 3, Classes G; M; MA; N; P; PA and Q) (as detailed in our change of use section²)
  • ‘New Dwellinghouses’ (Schedule 2, Part 20)
• Other buildings
• Areas where there may be a planning condition, Article 4 Direction or other restriction that limits permitted development rights.

Read the building regulations for porches³

1. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/flats-and-maisonettes/introduction
2. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/change-of-use/use-classes
3. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/porches/building-regulations