You don't need planning permission for walls around the house as long as you follow these rules:

Keep any walls behind the house max. 2m high, and any walls in front of the house max. 1.2m high.

Cap any new walls (except dry wall/natural stone walls).

Apply plaster or render to any concrete or block walls visible to the public i.e. from roads or footpaths.

Don't put up palisade or security fences.

Don't widen your existing access off the road, or create a new access onto the public road.

Key areas to watch out for:

Make sure you don't work beyond your legal ownership boundary without permission.

For example, a typical garden wall is usually centred along the boundary line meaning that your neighbour owns the half on their side.

Requirements are different for protected structures - altering the walls or other external features may require planning permission.

Some other important things to consider when planning a build:

Consider using the services of a registered Architect, Engineer or Surveyor who will be familiar with the planning system.

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