Our mission

About BuildRight UK

Plain-English, measurement-first tools that help homeowners understand England’s Permitted Development rules before they spend money on drawings or builders.

Last updated 15 October 2026

Why we built BuildRight UK

Every year thousands of homeowners in England pay for drawings, order materials or even start building before checking whether their project needs planning permission. The rules that decide this – the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (the ‘GPDO’) – are precise, but they are written for lawyers and planning officers, not for someone standing in their garden with a tape measure.

BuildRight UK turns those rules into 15 interactive checkers. Instead of reading a 60-page technical guide, you enter your dimensions and see a live verdict, a schematic blueprint showing the statutory limit, the exact legislative reference, the 2026 council fees and a specification sheet you can share with your builder or neighbour.

How our rules are sourced

Each checker is built directly from primary legislation and official guidance:

The GPDO 2015, Schedule 2 – Part 1 (development within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse, Classes A–H), Part 2 (minor operations, Classes A–E), Part 11 (demolition) and Part 14 (renewable energy, Classes A, B and G), including every amending order in force at the review date.
MHCLG ‘Permitted development rights for householders: technical guidance’ – the government’s interpretation of measurements such as ‘original house’, ‘principal elevation’ and ‘ground level’.
The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) Regulations 2012, as amended and indexed – for the fee schedule effective 1 April 2026.
The Building Regulations 2010 and Approved Documents A–S, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 and the Highways Act 1980 for the related consents explained on each page.
MCS planning standards (MCS 020(a)) for heat pump noise compliance.

Every limit in our rule engine is stored in a single structured data file and mapped to the paragraph of the GPDO it comes from, so that when legislation changes we can update the rule, the diagram and the explanatory content in one place.

Editorial standards

Primary sources first. We cite the legislation itself, not other websites. Where official guidance and case law interpret a rule, we say so.
Specific, measurable advice. Every page explains how a limit is measured and the common measurement mistakes that lead to enforcement action.
Honest about uncertainty. Where a rule includes judgement – ‘so far as practicable’, ‘similar appearance’, ‘incidental’ – our checkers flag it as borderline and recommend a Lawful Development Certificate rather than giving false certainty.
Regular review. All pages were last reviewed on 15 October 2026. We re-check content when amending orders are made and when fees change each April.
Independence. Our verdicts are never influenced by advertisers. Advertising is clearly labelled and kept separate from editorial content.
Corrections. If you spot an error, please contact us. We aim to review corrections within five working days and update the page’s review date.

What BuildRight UK is not

We are not a law firm, a planning consultancy or a Local Planning Authority, and our checkers are not a substitute for formal advice. They cover houses in England only – not flats or maisonettes, listed buildings, or land subject to Article 4 Directions or restrictive planning conditions. Please read our terms and disclaimer. For legal certainty, apply to your council for a Lawful Development Certificate.

How the site is funded

BuildRight UK is free to use and does not require registration. The site is supported by advertising served by Google AdSense. You can read how advertising cookies work, and how to opt out of personalised ads, in our privacy policy.