Hampshire | Hart District Council
Hartley Wintney Extensions, Surveys and Structural Engineering
Open Plan Homes Limited works across Hartley Wintney on house extensions, property surveys, party wall matters, structural engineering and chimney work. Hartley Wintney falls under Hart District Council, and it is the local planning authority, with Hampshire County Council above it for highways matters such as skip permits and any scaffold that reaches the pavement.
Hartley Wintney runs from Georgian and Victorian brick frontages along the High Street, with older cottages around the greens through to later twentieth century housing set behind the historic frontage, and modest infill on larger plots. We look at the property before we say what anything involves, and every project gets a written scope and price.
What we do here
Our Services in Hartley Wintney
Hartley Wintney, Hampshire
Working on Hartley Wintney Property
- Planning authority
- Hart District Council
- County
- Hampshire
- Typical ground
- London Clay with gravel cappings on the higher ground
- Party wall exposure
- The High Street frontage is largely terraced and historic, so a project there frequently involves both an adjoining owner and a heritage consideration at the same time.
If you are weighing up structural work in Hartley Wintney, the part of town matters more than most people expect. The older core around the High Street, the cricket green and Phoenix Green is largely Georgian and Victorian brick frontages along the High Street, with older cottages around the greens, whereas later twentieth century housing set behind the historic frontage, and modest infill on larger plots make up much of the rest. Those two groups behave differently once a wall comes out.
Any application for a Hartley Wintney property goes to Hart District Council: it is the local planning authority, with Hampshire County Council above it for highways matters such as skip permits and any scaffold that reaches the pavement. On top of that, the village centre is a conservation area with a significant number of listed buildings along the High Street, so internal alterations to an older property can need listed building consent as well as building regulations approval. We check that position at the start rather than treating it as a formality at the end.
High Street loading is restricted and the frontages are directly on the pavement, so scaffold licences and delivery timing are usually settled before anything else on a village centre project. The High Street frontage is largely terraced and historic, so a project there frequently involves both an adjoining owner and a heritage consideration at the same time. And underfoot, Hartley Wintney is commonly London Clay with gravel cappings on the higher ground, which is worth confirming by investigation on any project that touches foundations.
Questions we get asked
Hartley Wintney: Frequently Asked Questions
Can an extension affect my neighbour's right to light?
It can, and right to light is a separate legal matter from both planning and party wall. Where an extension is close to a boundary and a neighbour has established windows, it is worth raising early rather than after approval.
Are there heritage or planning constraints to watch in Hartley Wintney?
Yes. The village centre is a conservation area with a significant number of listed buildings along the High Street, so internal alterations to an older property can need listed building consent as well as building regulations approval. Where any of that applies to a property, permitted development cannot be assumed, and on a listed building even internal alterations can need consent. We establish which of these apply to your address at the start, because it can change the structural solution as well as the paperwork.
Does the ground in Hartley Wintney affect the foundation design?
It can. Across Hartley Wintney the underlying ground is commonly London Clay with gravel cappings on the higher ground, and that has a bearing on foundation depth, on how a new bearing is detailed, and on how close to mature trees a foundation can sensibly go. That is a general description of the area rather than a statement about any particular plot, so where foundations are involved we design against what an investigation on the site actually shows.
Can a survey find problems that are hidden behind finishes?
Only to the extent they show. A surveyor reports on what is reasonably accessible and visible, and will say where something could not be inspected and what would be needed to investigate it further.
Do you also work in the areas around Hartley Wintney?
Yes. Alongside Hartley Wintney we regularly work in Fleet and Yateley, and across the wider Hampshire border area from our office in Fleet. Bear in mind that some of those neighbouring towns sit under a different council to Hartley Wintney, so the planning and building control route can change from one to the next even over a short distance.
Do you cover the whole of Hartley Wintney, including the High Street?
Yes. Hartley Wintney is fully within our normal working area for building and structural work, from the High Street, the cricket green, Phoenix Green and West Green through to the surrounding streets. High Street loading is restricted and the frontages are directly on the pavement, so scaffold licences and delivery timing are usually settled before anything else on a village centre project.
Do I need building regulations approval to remove an internal wall?
Yes, where the wall is load bearing or where removing it affects fire separation or means of escape. Building control will want to see calculations for the beam and the bearing detail before the work is signed off.
Which council handles building control for building and structural work in Hartley Wintney?
Hartley Wintney falls under Hart District Council. It is the local planning authority, with Hampshire County Council above it for highways matters such as skip permits and any scaffold that reaches the pavement. That matters because a set of calculations and drawings has to be submitted to the authority that actually covers the address, and on this patch the boundaries run close together, so neighbouring towns can sit with entirely different councils.
Will a project in Hartley Wintney need a party wall notice?
The High Street frontage is largely terraced and historic, so a project there frequently involves both an adjoining owner and a heritage consideration at the same time. If the property is semi detached or terraced, or if the foundations for any new element sit close to a boundary, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is likely to apply and notice has to be served before work starts. We can confirm the position once we have seen the property, and serve the notices as part of the same project rather than leaving you to arrange it separately.
How much do party wall services cost?
It depends on how many adjoining owners are involved and whether the matter is settled by consent or needs an award. We set the basis out in writing before anything is served.
Talk it through first
Work on a Hartley Wintney property
Whether it is an extension, a survey before you buy, a party wall notice or a wall you want out, tell us about the property and we will tell you what it involves. We are ten minutes to an hour from most of Hartley Wintney from our office in Fleet.