It depends on whether you own a house or a flat, and whether you live in a conservation area. Our planning permission guide explains the national rules in full. These are the points that matter most here.
Houses outside a conservation area
A garden room can usually go ahead without an application if it is single storey and sits behind the front of the house. Within 2 m of a boundary it must be no taller than 2.5 m. Further away, it can reach 4 m with a dual-pitched roof or 3 m with any other roof, with eaves no higher than 2.5 m. Outbuildings and extensions together must cover no more than half the land around the original house. In narrow terrace gardens almost every design is within 2 m of a boundary, so the 2.5 m limit usually applies.
Conservation areas
In Brandling Village, Jesmond Dene and any other conservation area, you cannot build an outbuilding between the side of the house and the boundary without permission. The council can also remove permitted development rights through an Article 4 direction, so check its Article 4 information for your street. Neighbouring Gosforth has its own conservation area with the same restriction.
Tyneside flats and listed homes
Flats, including Tyneside flats, have no permitted development rights for outbuildings, so a garden room always needs a planning application. You will also need to be clear which garden belongs to which flat. Listed buildings need permission too, and possibly listed building consent. The householder application fee in England was set at £528 from April 2025 and is now index-linked, so check the Planning Portal fee calculator for the current figure.
Building Regulations
Most rooms on Jesmond plots are under 15 m², and with no sleeping accommodation they are generally exempt. From 15 to 30 m², a room close to a boundary will generally need to be built mainly from non-combustible materials to stay exempt. Electrical work must meet Part P. We will tell you where your design sits, and we recommend confirming any doubts with the council. Our garden room costs page explains how size and specification affect the price.
