Installing garden decking is a great way to add a modern and versatile outdoor space to your home. When adding a deck to your garden, it is important to check for any planning restrictions and if your decking design requires planning permission.
If any structures or buildings are built without the correct planning permission, they can be at risk of being dismantled by the local planning authority. If your decking is installed without permission, then you could also fail to gain any compliance certificates, which could cause issues if you plan on selling your property in the future.
Planning Permission & Regulations Explained
To know what you need to apply for, it's important to first understand the difference between Planning Permission and Building Regulations. The two regulating local authority bodies are entirely separate and managed differently.
Planning permission is covered by the local planning authorities to support and guide the regional district. They ensure any house changes, extensions, or decks follow the regional look and appearance. The local authority works hard to maintain a certain standard of build so neighbours, other houses' values and the surrounding countryside will not be affected.
Building Regulations are enforced by your local governing body and are designed to ensure that any new industrial, domestic, or commercial construction meets minimum standards for safety and more.
For most decking installations that are considered safe and built at a suitable height, planning permission is not usually required.
When Do You Need Planning Permission for Decking?
Planning permission may be required when installing raised or ground-level decking, depending on various factors, such as height, size, and location. Please note that Cladco Profiles is not a building surveyor, and we recommend seeking professional advice for any home extensions, revamps, or builds.
Some structures in the UK fall under 'permitted development' rights. This means you can build or add decking, along with other external features, without needing planning permission, provided specific criteria are met:
- The decking structure height is no more than 30cm above the ground.
- Together with other extensions and outbuildings, the decking or platforms cover no more than 50% of your garden.
- The deck, raised platforms, or outside building is not being built past your property’s front wall.
If your home or garden is located within a conservation area, a National Park, The Broads, or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), additional restrictions apply. In these cases, planning permission will be required if they meet the following:
- The area to be covered that is more than 20 metres from the house (which includes, extensions, buildings and decking, or other raised platforms) is larger than 10 square metres.
There are also several situations where permitted development rights/rules will not apply, and decking planning permission must be obtained. These certain rules applying to the decking, or other raised platforms, include:
- If your decking is situated within 20 metres of a highway
- If the decking or platforms affect the value of privacy of the neighbouring house or garden
- If the decking will be attached to a listed building or situated within a conservation area.
- If any section of the deck is higher than three metres, this includes any balustrades and/or handrails.
Further restrictions apply if you want to add a new decking area within the curtilage (enclosed garden area) of a listed building.
More information can be found here.
Informing Your Neighbours (They can refuse)
If any kind of home improvement project, including new decking, requires planning permission, it's important to contact your local planning authority first. Even if your plans fall under permitted development rights, it’s still courteous to inform your neighbours—especially if the work might impact them directly. Keeping open communication with neighbours can help prevent disputes during the work and ensure your project runs smoothly.
You can be denied permission if your neighbours are against your decking installation, even if the decking is the correct height and covers less than 50% of your garden. If your decking or structure impacts them in any way, by law, permission must be acquired from them before construction can begin.
How To Get Planning Permission For Garden Decks
Adding a ground-level or raised deck to your property may need planning permission. If decking or platforms cover, together with other extensions, 50% of the garden area and are more than 30cm above ground level then an application for planning permission will need to be filed.
Any outbuildings, extensions, or raised decking planning permission application forms can be found either online or at your local planning authority, which can be found through your local government. See the Government website for more information.
Planning permission may still be required even if you’re reworking or replacing an existing decking structure.
When Applying For Planning Permission, Decking Structures Must Do The Following:
- To begin the process, complete the online application form on the official UK Government Planning Portal.
- Most planning applications need a location plan, which shows the proposal in its surrounding context, and a site plan.
- Provide your full house address.
- Provide full details of your project, including height, width, and length.
- Detail if the structure will impact the surrounding area. This is particularly important if the project is in a listed or conservation area.
For further information or assistance with your application for planning permission, we advise you to look at your local government’s website, contact your local planning office or visit the official planning portal.
When Do You Need Building Regulations Approval For Decking?
Building regulations are required if there are any safety issues with the planned decking. This may result in you needing an application for the build.
To avoid this, the following rules need to be met:
- When building your decking or raised platform, ensure that anyone, regardless of age, is safe when on the decking.
- The ground structure of the decking must be of the correct dimensions and firmly fixed to ensure stability.
- Even the 30cm above-the-ground decking could pose a safety hazard for children and elderly users. If the deck is installed at a greater height, the chances of someone falling and hurting themselves also increase.
- Tall decks will have regulations around the incline of any stairs leading up to your decking and the steepness of each step.
- Decks of a certain height will have to ensure balustrades or railings are fitted and meet health and safety decking regulations.
When applying for building regulations or planning permission, ensure you check that your building does not fall under permitted development.
If your build has permitted development rights (the deck or other buildings do not cover more than 50% of the garden, and the deck is no more than 30cm off the ground), you do not need to apply for building regulation permission.
For more information about permitted development rights, see here.
How To Get Building Regulation Approval
Building regulation approval may be required if any new alterations or structural work is being undertaken on your property.
Before you can build your decking, you must receive approval from the building regulations office. This can be done in the following ways:
- Don’t fit the decking yourself. Instead, use registered tradesmen on the Competent Person Register. They will then inform the local authorities of your plans, and if you require an application, they can then do this on your behalf.
- Once your structure has been planned out, employ a Local Authority Building Control Body (BCB) to check and apply for any permission you may need.
- Any Private Building Control Body (BCB) can apply for planning approval on your behalf.
For any additional building work to your property, extensions or outbuildings, the decking must conform to the aforementioned requirements. For further information about building regulations and how to get them approved, see here.
Conclusion
If you are planning on replacing an old decking area or building a brand new one, planning permission may have to be acquired. It will provide you with the legal right to build your new deck. This can be applied for via your local authority or the government website here.
If your decking fits under these permitted development rules, then planning permission is not necessary:
- The deck's height is not higher than 30cm.
- Together with other buildings, the decking does not cover more than 50% of your garden.
If you don't require planning, or once you've received your permission, take a look at our range of sustainable, low-maintenance decking boards, including Cladco Composite, Nordeck and Millboard—ideal for all garden projects. We also have a handy decking calculator that allows you to estimate the materials your project will require.
PLEASE NOTE: In January 2024 we discontinued the 'wide groove' side of our Composite Decking Boards and the 'plain' side of our Bullnose Composite Decking Boards. Some of the boards shown in this blog post may no longer be available.
