Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?
 

Can anyone advise if I need planning permission to have the gas &
electric supply companies install a second gas main and a second
electric main to the building where I live?

The house was split into two flats 15 years ago, without planning
permission. Ever since then, I have lived in one flat and got the
tenant in the other flat to pay for his/her power via coin meters.

Now, I want to get extra mains supplies (gas & electricity) for the
flat that currently has the coin meters. Do I have to apply for
planning prmission to do this?

Many thanks,

Duke

Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?
 

On Tue, 15 May 2007 08:27:34 +0100 Duke wrote :
Can anyone advise if I need planning permission to have the gas &
electric supply companies install a second gas main and a second
electric main to the building where I live?

The house was split into two flats 15 years ago, without planning
permission. Ever since then, I have lived in one flat and got the
tenant in the other flat to pay for his/her power via coin meters.

Now, I want to get extra mains supplies (gas & electricity) for the
flat that currently has the coin meters. Do I have to apply for
planning prmission to do this?

Nothing to do with the planners. But assuming you have proof of the
conversion (separate Council Tax bills etc) it might be worth regularising
the planning situation ... unless one day you might want to do a reverse
conversion, not allowed by some planning departments like ours.

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk

Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?
 

On Tue, 15 May 2007 10:10:06 GMT, Tony Bryer
wrote:

Now, I want to get extra mains supplies (gas & electricity) for the
flat that currently has the coin meters. Do I have to apply for
planning prmission to do this?

Nothing to do with the planners. But assuming you have proof of the
conversion (separate Council Tax bills etc) it might be worth regularising
the planning situation ... unless one day you might want to do a reverse
conversion, not allowed by some planning departments like ours.

Tony,
Yes - that is one of the reasons why I haven't applied for a CLU so
far; because someone may just want to turn the place back into a
single dwelling at some point. However, my hand may be forced when I
come to sell one of the flats. If a buyer insists on a CLU, then I
will have to decide whether to take that plunge, or withdraw from the
sale. I'm told that applying for the CLU would be merely a formality,
but I'm a bit wary that it could open some kind of can of worms or
other.

Duke

Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?
 

On Tue, 15 May 2007 10:29:28 +0100, Owain
wrote:

planning prmission to do this?

No.

If the utility cos ask why, but they probably won't, just say you're
putting in a granny annex rather than a separate dwelling.

Owain

Thanks, Owain. Why do you recommend I don't divilge that it's a
separate dwelling?

Duke

Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?
 

"Duke" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 15 May 2007 10:10:06 GMT, Tony Bryer
wrote:

Now, I want to get extra mains supplies (gas & electricity) for the
flat that currently has the coin meters. Do I have to apply for
planning prmission to do this?

Nothing to do with the planners. But assuming you have proof of the
conversion (separate Council Tax bills etc) it might be worth regularising
the planning situation ... unless one day you might want to do a reverse
conversion, not allowed by some planning departments like ours.

Tony,
Yes - that is one of the reasons why I haven't applied for a CLU so
far; because someone may just want to turn the place back into a
single dwelling at some point. However, my hand may be forced when I
come to sell one of the flats. If a buyer insists on a CLU, then I
will have to decide whether to take that plunge, or withdraw from the
sale. I'm told that applying for the CLU would be merely a formality,
but I'm a bit wary that it could open some kind of can of worms or
other.

Duke

The can of worms is the water supply. It would need to be two metered
individual supplies at rip off cost.

Adam

Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?
 

Because then they'll expect a separate postal address for the separate
premises, which the council would have given you when you got the
planning permission, which you didn't get :-)

Should we assume the OP is defrauding the council tax too? I'd quite
happily shop him - so the rest of us don't pay as much.

Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?
 

On Tue, 15 May 2007 20:04:42 +0100, Owain
wrote:

Thanks, Owain. Why do you recommend I don't divilge that it's a
separate dwelling?

Because then they'll expect a separate postal address for the separate
premises, which the council would have given you when you got the
planning permission, which you didn't get :-)

The Council Tax Dept *did* though! (Back in 1993 when they first
assessed the place as two flats.)

Also if it's only for separately metering a granny annex they might just
split the existing supply, but if it's for a separate dwelling they
might insist on a new supply from the street mains - ££££s.

I guess they will send someone around who will need to look over the
premises before they decide what can/should be done regards the new
mains supplies. It's only two one-bed flats (no bigger than the
original house, so hopefully they can split the existing mains input,
like you said.

Regards,

Duke

Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?
 

On Tue, 15 May 2007 18:10:56 GMT, "ARWadsworth"
wrote:

The can of worms is the water supply. It would need to be two metered
individual supplies at rip off cost.

I've heard about that. Yes, it does indeed seem like a rip-off, when
it's the water company that will profit from it. I hope legislation
will soon force the water company to pay for it themselves. It seems
only fair.

Duke

Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?
 

On Tue, 15 May 2007 18:10:56 GMT ARWadsworth wrote :
The can of worms is the water supply. It would need to be two metered
individual supplies at rip off cost.

No, our family business sold off a house of converted flats all sharing
one water main with no problems. I did investigate replacing the water
mains and given the likely cost (£5K or so) decided to stick with the
status quo - no one queried this.

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk

Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?
 

On 15 May 2007 12:29:11 -0700 wrote :
Should we assume the OP is defrauding the council tax too? I'd quite
happily shop him - so the rest of us don't pay as much.

That IMO is a key issue if it comes to regularising the planning
situation: if they've been taking two lots of CT off you for years they
can hardly deny its use at flats. Conversely if you claim it's been
flats for years but you never told the CT department you are somewhat
hoisted by your own petard.

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk

Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?
 

On Tue, 15 May 2007 13:14:35 +0100, Duke wrote:

However, my hand may be forced when I
come to sell one of the flats. If a buyer insists on a CLU, then I
will have to decide whether to take that plunge, or withdraw from the
sale.

My old flat was the same, converted about 88. The buyers "solicitor"
(useless internet conveyancing firm) brought the issue up, my solicitor
basically told him not to be an arse, and that was the end of that, sale
went through fine.

You have to suspect there are hundreds of thousands of properties in the
same situation, it must come up all the time.

Steve