Help With Planning
Caravan Act, PD & Full Planning Explained

Granny Annexe Planning Permission in
Shefford

Introducing sleeping accommodation into a Shefford outbuilding changes its planning status entirely, from incidental permitted development to something that almost always needs a full application. We assess your specific project honestly.

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Local to Shefford
Three Routes Explained
Council-Ready Applications

Getting The Shefford Annexe Question Right First

A granny annexe in Shefford can follow three genuinely different routes. A structure that meets the legal definition of a caravan under the Caravan Sites Act 1968, capable of being moved by road in one or two sections and within maximum dimensions of 20 metres by 6.8 metres with an internal height of 3.05 metres, can often be sited without planning permission provided it remains ancillary to the house.

An outbuilding used incidentally to the enjoyment of the house, a home office, gym, or storage, can fall under Class E permitted development, but the moment it includes genuine sleeping accommodation used independently, it’s no longer considered incidental, and permitted development stops applying.

Where neither route fits, a full planning application is the reality for Shefford properties, and we confirm this honestly rather than assume. A Shefford annexe needing full planning permission usually needs both, our Building Regulations drawings in Shefford service covers the technical compliance side, and our structural calculations in Shefford service covers the engineering detail.

Right Route Confirmed

Caravan Act, permitted development, or full planning

Caravan Act Route

Movable structures that may need no permission at all

PD Size & Siting

Permitted development limits checked properly

Council-Ready

Applications built to be approved

Granny annexe planning permission

How We Help in Shefford

Every Shefford annexe enquiry starts with the same honest question, mobile caravan, incidental outbuilding, or genuine separate dwelling, since the answer determines everything that follows.

From there, we confirm the correct route for your Shefford project and prepare exactly what’s needed, a Lawful Development Certificate or a full planning application.

Structural detail and building regulations compliance for Shefford annexes are handled properly throughout, not bolted on at the end.

The Case For Proper Annexe Advice In Shefford

We tell Shefford families honestly whether their annexe genuinely qualifies for the Caravan Act or permitted development routes, rather than defaulting every enquiry to a full application.

Getting the self-containment question right matters more than almost anything else for a Shefford annexe, and we assess this honestly rather than assume either way.

Structural and building regulations detail is built into every Shefford annexe project from the start, whichever planning route applies. If you need help with a granny annexe, give us a call on 0330 133 5316 or fill in the form below.

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What Shefford Families Ask About Garden Annexes

Can I build a granny annexe in Shefford without planning permission?

Not automatically, a mobile structure meeting the Caravan Act’s size and mobility test, or a genuinely incidental outbuilding, can potentially avoid it in Shefford, but a self-contained annexe with its own facilities used independently usually can’t.

Can my Shefford annexe qualify as a mobile home?

Yes, potentially, if your Shefford annexe meets the legal size limits, 20 metres by 6.8 metres by 3.05 metres internal height, and is genuinely capable of being moved by road, it may qualify as a caravan under the 1968 Act.

Does Class E cover a granny annexe in Shefford?

Class E permitted development in Shefford covers incidental structures like a home office or gym, subject to height and coverage limits, but not genuine independent living accommodation with its own bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen.

When does my Shefford annexe need full planning permission?

Once a Shefford structure functions as independent living space, its own facilities, used separately from the household, it’s no longer incidental, and neither permitted development nor the Caravan Act route typically applies.

Should I get written confirmation for a Shefford annexe?

Yes, this is genuinely worth having for Shefford projects, confirming the position in writing protects you if the classification is ever questioned, especially at the point of sale.

Do you coordinate the full annexe process for Shefford properties?

Absolutely, Shefford annexe clients get the planning classification and building regulations detail handled together, not as separate, disconnected pieces of work.