Do I need planning permission for a golf simulator room?

This page sets out the published rules for England as they apply to golf simulator rooms. It isn't legal advice, and your council has the final say. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules.

A simulator in a room you already have

Putting a simulator into a spare room, loft or garage you keep as a garage is using the space, not developing it. It needs no planning permission. Two exceptions:

• Converting a garage into a habitable room. The Planning Portal says internal work that doesn't enlarge the building usually needs no planning permission, but some properties have had that right removed, especially on new estates and in conservation areas. Converting a garage into habitable space normally needs building regulations approval.
• Electrical work. A new circuit or a new consumer unit is notifiable under Part P, wherever it is.

A new garden building: permitted development

Most garden rooms in England are built under permitted development: rights to build without a planning application, provided the building meets set limits. For outbuildings (Class E in the government's technical guidance) the limits are:

1. Not forward of the principal elevation, which is usually the front of the house.
2. Single storey, with eaves no higher than 2.5m.
3. No taller than 4m with a dual-pitched roof, or 3m with any other roof.
4. No taller than 2.5m anywhere within 2m of a boundary of the property.
5. Buildings, extensions and outbuildings together must not cover more than half the land around the original house.
6. No verandas, balconies or raised platforms over 0.3m high.
7. It has to be for a purpose incidental to enjoying the house. The guidance excludes primary living accommodation such as a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen.

Heights are measured from the highest ground next to the building. "Original house" means the house as first built, or as it stood on 1 July 1948 if older, so earlier extensions count towards the half.

A room for your own golf is a hobby use, but the guidance's examples are sheds, storage buildings, garages and decking, and it doesn't name games rooms. If you want certainty, a Lawful Development Certificate from the council confirms a proposed building is lawful.

What the limits mean for a simulator

A simulator needs a 2.7m ceiling inside, and 3m or more is ideal. A building within 2m of a boundary can be only 2.5m tall overall, so it can't take one under permitted development. Further back, a dual-pitched roof up to 4m gives the height, under the ridge. A flat roof is limited to 3m overall, and the floor and roof structure come off that. Can I put a golf simulator in a garden room? works through the shapes that fit.

When permitted development doesn't apply

• Listed buildings: any outbuilding within the grounds of a listed building needs planning permission. Talk to the council before fixing anything to the listed building itself.
• Flats and maisonettes: householder permitted development rights don't apply.
• Designated land (conservation areas, National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, World Heritage Sites and the Broads): outbuildings at the side of the house need permission, and buildings more than 20m from the house are limited to 10 square metres in total.
• Article 4 directions: a council can withdraw permitted development rights in an area, most often in conservation areas.
• Planning conditions: some newer estates had permitted development rights removed when they were built.

Building regulations

Building regulations are separate from planning. The Planning Portal says that for a garden building:

• Under 15 square metres with no sleeping accommodation, they generally won't apply.
• Between 15 and 30 square metres with no sleeping accommodation, approval is usually not needed if the building is at least 1m from any boundary or built mainly from non-combustible materials.

A camera simulator room at our 3.0m by 4.2m minimum is 12.6 square metres. A radar room is longer and usually lands in the 15 to 30 band.

Electrics (Part P)

Part P covers electrical safety in homes, gardens and outbuildings. Installing a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit, or work in special locations such as bathrooms is notifiable. A registered electrician under a competent person scheme can self-certify it; otherwise a registered third-party certifier or building control checks it. Part P covers outbuildings and gardens supplied from the house, so running power to a garden room is a new circuit.

When to check with the council

The Planning Portal advises talking to your local planning authority before work begins. I'd do that, or apply for a Lawful Development Certificate, if any of these apply:

• The house is listed, a flat, or in a conservation area or other designated land.
• You're on a newer estate, where conditions may have removed rights.
• The building would be within 2m of a boundary and taller than 2.5m.
• Existing extensions and outbuildings already cover a lot of the garden.
• The room will have a bed, bathroom or kitchen.