Do you need planning permission or building regulations for a log burner?

Two different things get mixed up here. Building Regulations apply to every stove installation, always. Planning permission usually does not, except in a few specific cases. Here is how both work.

Building Regulations: always

Installing a stove, flue or liner is controlled work under Approved Document J of the Building Regulations. It covers hearth size and thickness, flue size and route, distances to combustible materials, ventilation, the carbon monoxide alarm and a notice plate recording the installation. There are two ways to comply:

• Use a HETAS registered installer. We are a competent person scheme member, so we self-certify the work, notify it, and give you a certificate. No building control application, inspection or fee.
• Do it yourself or use an unregistered fitter and apply to building control, pay the fee and have the work inspected. Solicitors will ask for the paperwork when you sell.

Planning permission: usually not

A stove inside your house is not normally a planning matter. A new flue on the outside of the building is usually permitted development, provided it does not rise more than one metre above the highest part of the roof. The exceptions are:

• Conservation areas (and National Landscapes): a flue on a wall facing a highway is not permitted development
• Listed buildings: listed building consent is needed for internal and external alterations
• Flats and some new developments with restrictive covenants
• Letchworth Garden City: the Heritage Foundation’s Scheme of Management requires consent for external changes

We check the planning position for your address before we quote, and tell you plainly if an application or consent is needed.

Landlords and sellers

A stove installed without certification is a problem at sale and for insurance. If you have inherited one with no paperwork, a HETAS installer can inspect it and advise on what it would take to bring it up to standard.

Book a survey and we will cover all of this for your home.