Planning permission and Building Regulations are different things
People often mix the two up. Planning permission is about how a building looks and how it affects its surroundings: its shape, height and materials. Building Regulations are about how it is built: structure, fire safety, insulation and ventilation. A job can need one, both or neither.
A like-for-like re-roof usually needs no planning permission, because it does not change how the house looks. It does normally need Building Regulations approval, because a new roof has to be structurally sound, properly ventilated and, in many cases, insulated to a better standard than the old one.
When Building Regulations apply to a re-roof
In England, the Planning Portal's guidance is that repairing or re-covering more than 25 per cent of a pitched or flat roof falls under the Building Regulations. Smaller repairs, such as replacing a few slates or a section of flashing, do not.
There are two ways to get the work signed off. A roofer registered with a government-authorised competent person scheme can self-certify the work and notify the council for you. Otherwise, you or your roofer apply to building control at the council, which in Macclesfield is Cheshire East Council, and an inspector checks the work.
Three parts of the regulations come up most on a re-roof:
- Structure: if the new covering is heavier than the old, such as concrete tiles replacing slate, the rafters and purlins must be checked to carry the extra load.
- Energy: where a large part of a roof is renovated, the insulation may need upgrading to the current standard if that is technically and economically feasible.
- Ventilation and condensation: the new roof must manage moisture, which usually means a breathable membrane and ventilation at the eaves and ridge.
When planning permission is needed
Most houses have permitted development rights, which allow certain changes without a planning application. Re-roofing in similar materials is generally covered. Changes that alter the shape of the roof, such as a dormer, a hip-to-gable loft conversion or raising the ridge, can be permitted development too, within limits on volume and position, but they are the jobs most likely to need permission.
Roof windows in England are usually permitted if they do not stick out more than 150 mm from the roof slope, are not higher than the ridge, and any in a side slope are obscure-glazed and fixed shut below 1.7 metres from the floor. Flats and maisonettes have no permitted development rights, so roof alterations on a converted house need an application.
Listed buildings and conservation areas
If your building is listed, most changes to the roof need listed building consent from the council, even inside the house, and carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building is a criminal offence. Genuine like-for-like repairs in matching materials often do not need consent, but the council's conservation officer decides that, not the roofer. Ask before work starts.
In a conservation area, the controls are lighter but real. Changing roof materials, adding roof windows on a slope facing the road and removing chimneys can need permission, especially where the council has made an Article 4 direction removing permitted development rights. Much of the historic centre of towns such as Knutsford, Nantwich, Chester, Buxton and Bollington is in conservation areas.
You can check whether a building is listed on the National Heritage List for England, or with Cadw in Wales. The council's planning pages show conservation area boundaries.
The differences in Wales
Building Regulations in Wales have been made by the Welsh Government since 2011, and they differ from England's in places, particularly on energy efficiency. Permitted development rules for houses are also set separately and differ in detail. If your property is in Wrexham, Flintshire or elsewhere in Wales, check the Welsh Government's guidance or ask the council, rather than relying on advice written for England.
Other permissions people forget
A scaffold on the pavement or road needs a licence from the highway authority, which your scaffolder normally arranges. Work to a party wall or a shared chimney can fall under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, which requires notice to the neighbour. All bats in the UK are protected, so if a roof may have bat roosts, a survey may be needed before work, and work must stop if bats are found. Some estates also have covenants on roof materials in the deeds.
| Job | Planning permission | Building Regulations |
|---|---|---|
| Replacing a few slates or tiles | No | No |
| Re-covering more than 25% of the roof like-for-like | No, unless listed or restricted | Yes |
| Changing slate to heavier concrete tiles | Possibly in a conservation area | Yes, with a structural check |
| Adding a roof window | Usually no, within the limits | Yes |
| Rear dormer on a house | Often permitted development, within limits | Yes |
| Removing a chimney stack | Possibly in a conservation area | Yes if the breast below is removed |
| Any change to a listed building's roof | Listed building consent | Usually yes |
Need this done? See our new roofs page or heritage roofing, or ask us for a quote.
Questions we get asked
Can my roofer sign off the Building Regulations?
Only if they are registered with a competent person scheme for roofing. Ask which scheme and check their registration. Otherwise, the work needs a building control application to the council or an approved inspector.
What happens if I re-roof without Building Regulations approval?
The council can require changes to make the work comply, and the lack of a completion certificate can cause problems when you sell the house, as buyers' solicitors ask for it.
Do I need permission to replace my flat roof?
Like-for-like replacement usually needs no planning permission, but replacing more than a quarter of it is building work, and the new roof will normally need insulating to the current standard.
Is my house in a conservation area?
The council's website has conservation area maps. In Macclesfield that is Cheshire East Council; in Stockport, Stockport Council; in Chester, Cheshire West and Chester Council.
Do I need to tell my neighbours I am re-roofing?
It is good practice, and on a terrace or semi it is often needed for scaffolding access. Work affecting a party wall or shared chimney may require formal notice under the Party Wall Act.