Can I Build a Bigger Extension Without Planning Permission? The Rules Homeowners Are Still Waiting On
Two and a half years ago, the government promised a bigger rulebook for extensions built without planning permission. It still hasn't arrived — and designing a project around legislation that may never land is a quiet way to lose a year, not gain one. Here is exactly what you can build under today's rules, and how to plan sensibly while the rest stays unwritten.
Why Getting Permission to Retrofit a Listed Building Still Takes So Long
Nine out of ten applications to retrofit a listed home are approved in the end — so why does the answer take months to arrive? We look at the quiet strain inside the planning system behind every slow "yes," and the national reform now being proposed to close the gap between approval and action.
Do You Still Need Biodiversity Net Gain for Your Self-Build? Why Plot Size Now Decides
For years, building your own home carried a quiet exemption from biodiversity rules, simply by virtue of being a self-builder. That exemption has just been removed, replaced with something stricter: a line drawn at 0.2 hectares. Here's what the change actually means for your plot, and why the answer now turns on land, not intent.
The Hidden Cost of Extending in 2026/2027: What’s Happening to Planning Application Fees
Another rise in planning fees is on the table for December — though nothing is settled yet. Here's what's actually known, and why the fee itself was never really the point.
The Mansion Tax Is Coming: What a £2m+ Threshold Means If You're Building or Extending
A new charge on £2 million homes arrives in 2028. Before it shapes a single decision about your extension or new build, here's what's actually known — calmly, and without the scaremongering.
What New-Build Snagging Data Really Shows in 2026
Two statistics, both true, both from the same industry survey, that seem to contradict each other. They don't — but understanding why tells you almost everything worth knowing before you complete on a new-build home.
Peak District Local Plan 2026: Consultation Open Now — What to Know
The document that will shape what can be built across the Peak District for the next decade is open for comment right now. Here's what it is, in plain English, and why it's worth ten minutes of your time.
Are Permitted Development Rules Changing in 2026? What's Actually True
Search "permitted development 2026" and you'll find a dozen confident articles about rules that haven't actually changed. We sorted out what's true, what's proposed, and what's already different if you live in the Peak District.
New Build Snagging: Architect or Surveyor?
Snagging has quietly become an industry of its own — badges, certifications, marketing. Here's a more useful question: who actually knows your house well enough to check it properly?
RIBA Stages Explained: What Actually Happens When You Commission an Architect
From first doubt to finished home: a plain-English walk through the RIBA Plan of Work, and what each of its eight stages actually asks of you as a client.
House Extension Costs in Derbyshire 2026: A Realistic Guide
The question every client asks first, answered properly: what a high-end extension really costs in Derbyshire in 2026 — by specification, by type, and by everything the headline figure leaves out.