Planning permission for two-storey extensions in County Antrim

County Antrim at a glance

Nation: Northern Ireland
Price region: Northern Ireland
Postcode areas: BT
Towns covered: 15 listed below, plus surrounding villages
Site visits: Free, no obligation

What a planning application involves

Getting planning permission for a two-storey extension involves checking whether permitted development applies, preparing drawings and supporting information, submitting a householder application to the council and dealing with questions until a decision is made. Many two-storey extensions need permission, especially side, wraparound and front ones.

Towns in County Antrim include Belfast (BT1), Lisburn (BT10), Newtownabbey (BT36), Castlereagh (BT4), Carrickfergus (BT38) and Ballymena (BT42). If yours isn't listed, we still cover it.

Fees

Planning drawings are a guide of £2,000–£3,500, priced in writing before the design stage starts. Planning application for works to a house: £347.

Rules in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, a planning application for works to a house costs £347 per dwelling. Councils aim to decide local applications within an average of 15 weeks, and many take longer, so we build that into your programme. A two-storey rear extension that goes no more than 3 m beyond the original rear wall and stays 7 m from the rear boundary may be permitted development.

Approval in Northern Ireland: Planning application for works to a house: £347. Councils aim to decide local applications within an average of 15 weeks; many take longer.

Building control: Building control approval from the local council under the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland), using the Technical Booklets.

There is no Party Wall Act in Northern Ireland. Shared walls and boundaries are a matter of title and common law, so we agree access and record conditions with neighbours before work starts.

Getting the design right

A complete application

Applications that are missing drawings, the right fee or a certificate of ownership are not validated, and the decision clock does not start. We check the council's validation list so the application is complete on day one.

Check the history first

Planning conditions from when the house was built, earlier extensions and Article 4 directions can all remove permitted development rights. We check the council's records and your house's history before design starts, so the route is clear.

How we work in County Antrim

Look at the house
We start in County Antrim with a free visit: measurements, photos, a look at the loft and drains, and a frank chat about budget.
Drawings, then consent
We draw the scheme, check it against the rules in Northern Ireland, and take it through the right consent with the council.
Detail and price
Construction drawings, engineer's calculations and building control sign-off, then a written fixed price for the build.
Build
Foundations, walls, floor, roof, windows, then first and second fix. We break through into the house as late as we can.

Towns we cover in County Antrim