Will converting my garage affect parking?

It can. Councils check that enough parking remains on the driveway, so we show the remaining spaces on the block plan and explain the position in the application.

Can a garage become an annexe?

Yes, as accommodation that stays ancillary to the main house. Using it as a separate dwelling needs full planning permission.

House extensions & alterations

Garage conversions

Turning an integral, attached or detached garage into a study, playroom, dining room or guest annexe.

Get a free quoteFrom £600 for homeowners

Do you need permission to convert a garage?

Converting an integral or attached garage is often permitted development when the work is internal and the garage door is replaced with a wall and window. Many newer estates around Reading, Earley, Lower Earley and Wokingham, however, have a planning condition that keeps the garage for parking, and in that case a planning application is needed. Councils then look at whether enough off street parking remains. Detached garages turned into living space, and any conversion that adds a separate dwelling, also need permission.

Design points we cover

The new window should line up with the existing windows in height and proportion, and the brickwork below it should match the house so the old door opening disappears. Inside we check floor levels, insulation and ventilation, and whether the new room needs a rooflight. We also check the bat map where the roof is affected, as some councils require a biodiversity statement. Where parking is reduced, we show the driveway spaces that remain on the block plan.

Recent garage conversions

The projects below include a dining room in Tilehurst, a playroom in Earley, a study in Lower Earley, a detached garage turned into living space in Three Mile Cross and a rural garage converted to a guest annexe in Wiltshire with a heritage statement.

Planning constraints we check

Converting a garage removes a parking space, so highways and parking standards are the main constraint, along with any planning condition that keeps the garage for parking.

Highways and parking: The council's parking standards, access and visibility splays, Manual for Streets, refuse and delivery vehicle access, cycle storage and, for larger schemes, transport statements.
Permitted development and Article 4: Classes A to E of Part 1 of the General Permitted Development Order 2015, prior approval for larger rear extensions, and Article 4 directions that remove permitted development rights in parts of Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire.
Local Plan policies: Reading Borough Local Plan 2019 (CC7 design, CC8 amenity, H9 house extensions, H11 garden land); Wokingham Core Strategy CP3 and the Managing Development Delivery Local Plan (TB06 garden land); the Bracknell Forest Local Plan; West Berkshire Local Plan Review 2023 to 2041 (SP7 design quality); Spelthorne Core Strategy and Policies DPD 2009 (EN1); Slough Core Strategy and saved Local Plan policies; and the National Planning Policy Framework.
Design guidance: The Wokingham Borough Design Guide SPD, Reading's Residential Conversions SPD and design guidance, the Slough Residential Extensions Guidelines SPD and the Bracknell Forest Design SPD, which set rules on scale, roof form, materials, set backs and separation distances.
Flood risk and drainage: The Environment Agency flood map (Flood Zones 1 to 3), site specific flood risk assessments, the sequential test for new homes in higher risk zones, and sustainable drainage (SuDS) for surface water.
Ecology and biodiversity: Bat and nesting bird checks under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, preliminary roost assessments where roofs or old buildings are affected, and Biodiversity Net Gain under the Environment Act 2021 with the statutory biodiversity metric (householder applications are exempt).