House Extensions in Aldershot

Yes. Planning permission and building regulations are two separate systems. An extension that is entirely permitted development still needs building regulations approval, and that is where the structural calculations, insulation, ventilation and fire safety detail are assessed.

Building regulations set requirements for ventilation and, in habitable rooms, for daylight and means of escape. Where an extension makes an existing room internal, the design has to deal with that, commonly through rooflights, mechanical ventilation, or by reconfiguring the layout.

It can. Across Aldershot the underlying ground is commonly Bagshot sands over the heathland belt, with made ground possible on former military land, 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.

Yes. The garrison has a substantial heritage footprint, with listed buildings and designated areas across the former military estate. 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.

If you are building on or up to the boundary, excavating near a neighbour's foundations, or cutting into a shared wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies and notice has to be served. Extensions on a semi detached or terraced property very often trigger it.

Aldershot falls under Rushmoor Borough 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.

Yes. Aldershot is fully within our normal working area for house extensions, from the Wellesley development, North Camp, Manor Park and the garrison through to the surrounding streets. On the newer Wellesley plots there are often estate management conditions as well as the planning position, and those are worth reading before design work starts rather than after.

Yes. Alongside Aldershot we regularly work in Farnborough, Farnham and Camberley, 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 Aldershot, so the planning and building control route can change from one to the next even over a short distance.

Aldershot is unusually terrace heavy for this part of Hampshire, so the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is in play on a large share of projects here. 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.

Yes. If the design work is done, we can pick up the structural calculations and the building regulations detail from the existing drawings, provided the drawings reflect what is actually on site.