A Towcester annexe built to qualify as a caravan under the 1968 Act, moveable in one or two sections within strict size limits, can sometimes avoid planning permission altogether, provided it stays genuinely ancillary to the house. We confirm whether that route fits your plans.
Get Your Free Route CheckA granny annexe in Towcester 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 Towcester properties, and we confirm this honestly rather than assume. A Towcester annexe needing full planning permission usually needs both, our Building Regulations drawings in Towcester service covers the technical compliance side, and our structural calculations in Towcester 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 start every Towcester annexe project by establishing the real starting point, a mobile structure within Caravan Act limits, an incidental outbuilding, or genuine independent living space, since that single distinction shapes everything that follows.
Your Towcester application or certificate, whichever applies, is built around what your local council specifically expects to see, not a generic template.
Structural and building regulations work for Towcester annexe projects is handled properly from the outset, informed by real experience with this kind of project.
We tell Towcester 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 Towcester annexe, and we assess this honestly rather than assume either way.
Structural and building regulations detail is built into every Towcester 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.
It depends on three things, whether the structure genuinely qualifies as a caravan under the Caravan Sites Act, whether it stays incidental to the house under permitted development, or whether it’s a self-contained dwelling, which almost always needs a full application in Towcester.
Under the Caravan Sites Act 1968, a structure qualifies as a caravan if it’s capable of being moved by road in no more than two sections, and doesn’t exceed 20 metres in length, 6.8 metres in width, or 3.05 metres in internal height, Towcester annexes meeting this can often avoid planning permission if they stay ancillary to the house.
Only if it stays genuinely incidental to the house, Towcester outbuildings under Class E permitted development cannot be separate, self-contained living accommodation, the moment sleeping facilities are used independently, permitted development stops applying.
A Towcester annexe with its own bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, used independently of the main house rather than as shared accommodation, is generally treated as self-contained, which usually means full planning permission is needed.
We recommend it, even where your Towcester annexe genuinely qualifies as a caravan or permitted development, a Lawful Development Certificate gives you written confirmation rather than an assumption that could cause problems later, particularly when selling.
Yes, we handle the full picture for Towcester annexe projects, the planning route, whichever applies, and building regulations compliance, as one coordinated service.