Annexe Applications Rise As Homeowners Need Space

It shouldn’t come a surprise to learn that thousands of homeowners across the UK have taken steps to improve their home. A lot of people have moved home or looked to move property but with information provided by Churchill Home Insurance, planning applications for garden annexes were considerably high.

Close to 9,000 planning applications were made, and a lot of this is down to the first lockdown period.

People need space at home

The insurance company suggests that this amounts to 25 applications per day.

It is likely that remote working and home-schooling influences people, and the same source found that 6% of property owners intend to add a garden annexe to their home this year.

While the average cost of an annexe is around £7,000; the value of a property can be increased by as much as £91,000 depending on the size and standard of the extension.

The main three reasons people want to add an annexe to their property were as follows:

  • Allowing other family members to move in to assist with childcare – said by 17% of respondents
  • Home schooling requirements – said by 16% of people
  • Moving a family member in to be part of the same household – said by 16% of respondents

How would you utilise additional space at home?

Other reasons why people use existing or plan to use a new annexe include:

  • A breakout space, listed by 28% of respondents
  • A living area for children, cited by 16% of people
  • A space for parents, listed by 15%
  • A leisure space, named by 13% of people, with a bar a fantastic example
  • A living area for elderly relatives, named by 10% of people

Pritpal Powar, Head of Churchill home insurance, said: “We expect more from our homes now than ever before. As well as places to relax, they are offices, businesses, schools and gyms. These structures are often relatively cost-effective and can quickly add both space and value to a property, so it is no wonder so many of us are looking at how we can create more space without spending huge amounts of money on building extensions or moving.”

Pritpal continued by saying; “Anyone considering constructing or converting a garden annexe needs to inform their insurer that work is taking place and consider the additional building and contents that they may need on their policy once the work is complete.”

Over the last year, it looks as though planning applications for new garden annexes achieved a greater level of success than applications for converted annexes. 75% of applications for new annexes were approved by local councils, while the success rate for conversion applications was just 67%.

79% of all planning applications in 2019/20 were for new constructions, with the remainder (21%) being for conversions.

At Williams of Petersfield, we aim to support the Petersfield community as much as we can, and we know this is an extremely trying time. A lot of people are looking for support and guidance, and if you have any property or housing related questions, we are more than happy to assist you, so contact us today.