Pergola Planning Permission in Bolton: Do You Need It?

The short answer for most Bolton gardens

A freestanding pergola in the back garden of a house normally counts as a garden structure under permitted development rights. That means you can build it without applying to Bolton Council, provided it stays within set size and position limits.

Those rights apply to houses only. If you live in a flat or maisonette, or your home is a listed building, you should assume you need permission and check before ordering any timber.

The size and position limits that matter

The limits are measured from the highest point of the natural ground next to the structure, which matters on the sloping plots common around Smithills, Harwood and Horwich. A pergola that is 2.4 metres at the house end can be well over the limit at the low end of a falling garden.

A pergola fixed to the house wall can be treated as an extension instead of a garden building, and different limits apply. If yours will be attached, check before you commit to a design.

• Within 2 metres of any boundary: maximum overall height of 2.5 metres
• More than 2 metres from every boundary: up to 3 metres, or 4 metres with a dual pitched roof
• Eaves height no more than 2.5 metres
• Nothing forward of the front wall of the house, so front garden pergolas need permission
• Sheds, pergolas and other outbuildings together must not cover more than half the garden
• Any deck or platform beneath it must be no more than 30 centimetres above ground

When you will need to apply in Bolton

Some properties have fewer rights than the standard rules suggest. Bolton has a number of conservation areas, including Barrow Bridge, Firwood Fold, Egerton and parts of Chorley New Road. In these, a pergola at the side of the house needs permission, and the council looks more closely at anything visible from the street.

Newer estates are the other common trap. Many homes built in the last 20 years or so, including developments around Horwich and Westhoughton, were approved with a condition removing permitted development rights. Your deeds may also contain a developer covenant restricting garden structures. That is separate from planning, but it can still cause problems when you come to sell.

If you do need to apply, it is a householder application to Bolton Council. The fee is a few hundred pounds and is reviewed each year, so check the current figure on the Planning Portal. Decisions usually take around 8 weeks, and you will need scaled drawings and a site plan.

How to check before you build

A few checks at the start cost very little compared with taking a pergola down later. Enforcement in Bolton nearly always starts with a neighbour complaint, so a quick conversation over the fence is worth having as well, especially if the structure will sit close to their side.

• Measure the distance from each post to the nearest boundary, and the finished height from the highest adjacent ground
• Search your address on Bolton Council's planning pages to see if you are in a conservation area
• Look up the original planning approval for your estate and read the conditions for any removal of permitted development rights
• Read your title deeds for covenants
• If it is borderline, apply for a Lawful Development Certificate, which costs about half the planning fee and gives you written proof for future buyers