Planning permission for two-storey extensions in the Highlands, Moray and Islands

The Highlands, Moray and Islands at a glance

Nation: Scotland
Price region: Scotland
Postcode areas: AB, HS, IV, KW, PH, ZE
Towns covered: 21 listed below, plus surrounding villages
Site visits: Free on the mainland; island and remote addresses by arrangement, with travel costs agreed first

What a planning application involves

This service suits you if you want your two-storey extension to go through planning with the best chance of approval. You get a check of your house's planning history, permitted development rights and local design guidance, a design shaped around them, the application prepared and submitted, and someone to deal with the planning officer's questions. We cannot promise an outcome, but we design to give the application a fair chance.

Towns in the Highlands, Moray and Islands include Inverness (IV1), Elgin (IV30), Fort William (PH33), Nairn (IV12), Forres (IV36) and Buckie (AB56). 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. Householder planning application: £371.

Rules in Scotland

In Scotland, a householder planning application costs £371, and councils have two months to decide. Class 1B permitted development needs 10 m to every boundary, so most two-storey extensions need an application. Planning permission is separate from the building warrant, which is also needed before work starts.

Approval in Scotland: Householder planning application: £371. Councils have two months to decide a local planning application.

Building standards: A building warrant from the council's building standards service before work starts, and a completion certificate at the end. Scotland uses its own Technical Handbooks.

There is no Party Wall Act in Scotland. Shared walls and boundaries are governed by title deeds and common law, so we speak to neighbours early and record the condition of shared structures.

Getting the design right

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.

Neighbours' light and privacy

The main concerns on a two-storey extension are usually loss of light, outlook and privacy for neighbours. We test the design against nearby windows and gardens, and adjust depth, roof shape or window positions before submitting.

How we work in the Highlands, Moray and Islands

Understand the brief
At your home in the Highlands, Moray and Islands we agree what you need: bedroom count, bathroom, kitchen space, and how much garden you want to keep.
Drawings, then consent
We draw the scheme, check it against the rules in Scotland, and take it through the right consent with the council.
Detail and price
Construction drawings, engineer's calculations and building warrant approval, then a written fixed price for the build.
On site
One project lead runs the job, keeps you updated and arranges inspections at each stage until completion.

Towns we cover in the Highlands, Moray and Islands