Garages offer great potential to expand living space or even create a new home and add value to your home

As part of its quest to increase the number of homes in England, the government has made ‘airpsace’ dwellings a reality. When space is tight, particularly in towns and cities, often the only way is up. From August 31, it will be easier to create an entire brand-new home on top of an existing building without the need to seek planning permission.

One of the Government’s key planning objectives is to boost the number of new homes being built. Crucially, this doesn’t just mean schemes by large housebuilders. There’s a new focus on small sites, conversions from commercial use and those who want to commission or build their own homes.

If you’re thinking of starting a build project in the next couple of years, you might be wondering if this will make it easier to find a self-build site or add that ambitious extension to your home.

The simple answer is yes. Planning permission turns a property into a viable building opportunity and is the key to unlocking potential. Exactly how much value it adds depends on a number of factors

It can be daunting knowing where to start on a project. The good news is that if you’ve had an idea to build then you’ve passed the first hurdle and you have forward motion.

It was a hard decision but I had a dream of setting up an architect developer practice that would help individuals and independent developers deliver small scale sustainable developments