Airspace permitted development rights give you the opportunity to build up to additional floors on existing buildings without the need for planning permission.

For owners of residential and commercial properties, this presents huge opportunities to add new homes, flats, stores or offices on top of their existing premises, whilst reducing the lengthy wait and legal implications of planning permission.

The process of airspace permitted development rights (PDR) changed in a ruling by the UK government in 2020 which confirmed that planning permission is no longer required. Many have hailed this update as something that could save the UK’s housing shortage and potentially add another 200,000 extra homes or flats by simply building on the airspace.

The development of airspace is good for sustainability, since it does not encroach on green belt land and is essentially building upwards. These days, a lot of construction parts can be manufactured off site and transported to the location, making the development of new homes and flats very fast, time and cost-effective.

What is Included In Airspace Permitted Development Rights?

According to the GDPO legislation, there are permitted development rights if:

  • The original building must be at least three storeys in height above ground level
  • On a staggered building, only the higher part can be built upon
  • The floor-to-ceiling height in your newly developed flats cannot be higher than 3m
  • The newly developed units must be designed as flats
  • The overall height of the renovated building’s roof cannot exceed 7m higher than the highest part of the existing roof
  • Upon completion, the total height of your development cannot exceed 30 meters
  • Your completed development should have no visible external support structure
  • You can build up to a maximum of 500 or 1,000 feet depending on local authorities. Anything above this is deemed as higher stratum

What Could Be Developed In Airspace?

  • Additional flats/homes
  • Penthouses
  • Offices
  • Amentities such as gyms, social areas, bike lockers, storage
  • Shops and stores
  • Schools – classrooms and amenities 
  • Car parks
  • Health centres
  • Hotels – additional floors and amenities
  • Leisure – gyms, rooftop bars
  • Conservatories 
  • Greenhouses

Some Considerations of Airspace Permitted Development Rights

Whilst no planning permission is required to build into airspace, there are some important considerations for neighbours and the surrounding area:

Fitting in with design and architecture – The changes you make to your airspace should ideally coordinate with the designs and architecture of the local area and surroundings, to avoid any pushback from local residents. A professional architect will be required to draw up the construction plans and adhere to this.

Impact of neighbours – By developing upwards could impact the sunlight, privacy and onlooking for some neighbours and whilst this is typically covered in traditional planning permission, this is something that you should consult with your neighbours to avoid any complaints or things that could slow down the building work.

Impact on occupiers and tenants – If you are building on top of an existing block of flats or offices, this is likely to cause interruption or increased noise for existing occupiers and tenants. Plans should be made to compensate them, offer alternative accommodation and even adjust rents if new amenities are added.

Impact on utilities – Adding extra floors can create complications with utilities including water, gas, electricity and heat and making it a smooth transition to new homes and flats in the building. For some developers, this can be tricky, especially if there are water mains in the road that need to be amended, creating extra building work and inconvenience for local neighbours.

Do You Requirement Airspace Development Finance?

Airspace development offers huge potential to increase the number of properties and overall value for a residential or commercial estate. 

A lot of developers and airspace owners seek out specialist airspace development finance to help fund the build and construction costs in the most effective way.

KP Finance has a superb track record in this space and would be delighted to discuss your individual requirements drawing on over 15 years of experience.

For more information, please contact the KP Finance team by phone on +44203 488 1128 or email the team at enquiries@kpfinance.co.uk