Oundle families building a granny annexe for an elderly relative need to understand that independence and self-containment, however well-intentioned, is exactly what shifts a project out of the simpler planning routes.
Get Your Free Route CheckThe planning position for a Oundle annexe comes down to two questions, is it genuinely mobile within the Caravan Act’s size limits, and is it genuinely ancillary to the house rather than a separate, independent dwelling.
A structure meeting the caravan definition, movable by road, built in no more than two sections, within 20 metres by 6.8 metres by 3.05 metres internal height, can often be sited in a Oundle garden without full planning permission, provided it stays ancillary.
Where a Oundle annexe is permanently fixed, or genuinely self-contained with its own facilities used independently, the caravan and permitted development routes generally don’t apply, and a full application becomes the realistic path. A Oundle annexe needing full planning permission usually needs both, our Building Regulations drawings in Oundle service covers the technical compliance side, and our structural calculations in Oundle service covers the engineering detail.
Caravan Act, permitted development, or full planning
Movable structures that may need no permission at all
Permitted development limits checked properly
Applications built to be approved
We begin every Oundle annexe project with an honest assessment of the actual plans, size, mobility, and intended use, before any design work begins.
Where the Caravan Act or permitted development genuinely applies to your Oundle project, we confirm that properly, usually via a Lawful Development Certificate, rather than defaulting to a full application that isn’t needed.
Where genuine self-containment means a full application is required, we build that around what Oundle’s council specifically expects to see.
Honesty about what your Oundle annexe actually needs comes before any recommendation, not after we’ve quoted for the more expensive route.
We understand the genuine legal distinction between incidental and self-contained use for Oundle annexe projects, which is exactly what most generic guidance gets wrong.
A Lawful Development Certificate, where your Oundle annexe genuinely qualifies for it, gives you written confirmation rather than a risky assumption. If you need help with a granny annexe, give us a call on 0330 133 5316 or fill in the form below.
This genuinely depends on your specific plans for Oundle, we check whether the structure is mobile, incidental, or self-contained before advising either way.
The Caravan Sites Act 1968 sets the limits, 20 metres long, 6.8 metres wide, 3.05 metres internal height, and the structure must be moveable by road in one or two sections, we check whether your Oundle plans genuinely meet this.
It depends on genuine use, an incidental Oundle outbuilding can qualify under Class E, but introducing real sleeping accommodation used independently takes it outside permitted development regardless of size.
Genuine independence is the test in Oundle, if the annexe could function as a separate home on its own, full planning permission is almost always the realistic route.
Strongly recommended for Oundle annexes, an assumption that a structure qualifies isn’t the same as formal confirmation, and a Lawful Development Certificate closes that gap.
Yes, we coordinate every part of a Oundle annexe project, from establishing the correct route through to building regulations sign-off, so nothing falls through the gap.