[celery]

Hello Everyone,

I live in a secluded house in a sleepy Normandy hamlet where nobody overlooks my property. I have a relatively large garden and a fair amount of land surrounding the property.

I would like to erect a log store in the garden but am not sure what I am allowed to build without planning permission of some sort.

The basic aim is to build a 4m x 4m log shed less than 2.5m tall with a poured concrete base.

What is the usual process for this? Am I allowed to just build it because it's less that a certain square meterage, or do I need to ask permission from the Mairie or someone else?

Many thanks for any help.

 

[rynd2it]

Hello Everyone,

I live in a secluded house in a sleepy Normandy hamlet where nobody overlooks my property. I have a relatively large garden and a fair amount of land surrounding the property.

I would like to erect a log store in the garden but am not sure what I am allowed to build without planning permission of some sort.

The basic aim is to build a 4m x 4m log shed less than 2.5m tall with a poured concrete base.

What is the usual process for this? Am I allowed to just build it because it's less that a certain square meterage, or do I need to ask permission from the Mairie or someone else?

Many thanks for any help.

Why not just stack the logs on the ground (or on old pallets) and cover with a tarpaulin - it's what the French do.

Cheers

 

[Bevdeforges]

You should probably just ask at your local mairie. It appears (from our experience, at least) that putting up a small garden shed (like the ones you can get in kit form at the local garden shops) requires no notice or permit or anything. But I'm not sure exactly what the trigger is for needing to do the notice. There is some kind of exception for a "temporary structure" - so that if it's "portable" you need no notice or permit or anything, even if your land is "unbuildable."

Otherwise, you are allowed to build an out building of up to 20 m2 based on a simple (or not) declaration made to the mairie, as long as it meets the local requirements - usually in terms of distance from the closest building, distance from the road, stuff like that.

Ask at the mairie what the local rules are for out buildings under 20 m2. They pretty much have to let you build it, in any event, but they may ask for what seems like an inordinate amount of paperwork in order to do so. Or, if it's not visible from the street, just do it. That appears to be the French way with these things.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[celery]

You should probably just ask at your local mairie. It appears (from our experience, at least) that putting up a small garden shed (like the ones you can get in kit form at the local garden shops) requires no notice or permit or anything. But I'm not sure exactly what the trigger is for needing to do the notice. There is some kind of exception for a "temporary structure" - so that if it's "portable" you need no notice or permit or anything, even if your land is "unbuildable."

Otherwise, you are allowed to build an out building of up to 20 m2 based on a simple (or not) declaration made to the mairie, as long as it meets the local requirements - usually in terms of distance from the closest building, distance from the road, stuff like that.

Ask at the mairie what the local rules are for out buildings under 20 m2. They pretty much have to let you build it, in any event, but they may ask for what seems like an inordinate amount of paperwork in order to do so. Or, if it's not visible from the street, just do it. That appears to be the French way with these things.
Cheers,
Bev

That's a great help, thank you Bev.

I will make a visit to the local Mairie and let them know my intentions. Hopefully, as you say, they will allow me to build such a structure. The last thing I would want is to be told I have to take it down because I didn't ask.

All the best.

 

[dodeka]

It really depends

If you're a tiny village, the bet is that they fall under the "PLU" Plan local d'urbanisme which state that anything under 20m2 doesn't need planning permission but a declaration de travaux (but that's intended for something that's closed off) so if your shed has no door you shouldn't even have to ask.

As Bev says ask the mairie if you want to be sure and see what they say. But sometimes in little places it's just a matter of doing things if they're out of sight. For example in our village, the mayor told me we can do roughly what we want as long as it's not "extravangante" ause why bother with all those paperworks, if somebody complain then he will advise!

 

[ccm47]

My tip would be : use a removable base e.g. slabs. The Mairie could well object to the concrete base.

I have a house in one village and land in the neighbouring village. Where the house is the Mairie point blank said nothing with a base, so we have an open wooden unit. Where the land is: build what you like, and don't you think it should be bigger/closed in etc.
To be fair the topography of the two places is very different and the Mairie where the house is, has been helpful in other matters.