Siting & care
Log store planning permission: the England checklist
Check position, height, boundaries, listing and designated land before building a substantial log store.
Many modest domestic log stores at houses can fit within England's permitted-development rules for outbuildings, but the label “log store” creates no automatic exemption. Check the whole structure and the property.
The main England limits
The Planning Portal's current summary says outbuildings must not be forward of the principal elevation. They must be single storey, with eaves no higher than 2.5 m and overall height no higher than 4 m for a dual-pitched roof or 3 m for another roof. When any part is within 2 m of the boundary, overall height is limited to 2.5 m.
The additions and other buildings must not cover more than half the land around the “original house”. Further restrictions apply on designated land. Outbuildings within the curtilage of listed buildings need planning permission.
Properties that need a closer look
The national householder allowances do not apply in the same way to flats and maisonettes. A planning condition or Article 4 direction can also remove a right that would otherwise exist. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regimes; do not transplant the England measurements.
For listed property, speak to the local planning authority's conservation team before fixing anything to historic fabric or assuming a freestanding structure is harmless to the setting.
Make a record
Keep a dimensioned sketch showing boundaries, the original house, other outbuildings, roof shape and heights. Photograph the site. If the conclusion is uncertain, ask the local planning authority. A lawful-development certificate may provide formal confirmation where appropriate.
This is general planning information, not a decision on a particular property.
Sources
- Planning Portal: outbuildings — England limits and exclusions checked 10 November 2026.
- GOV.UK: when planning permission is needed — route to the local planning authority and nation-specific guidance, checked 10 November 2026.
- Historic England: Listed Building Consent — advice to contact the local authority before work affecting listed buildings, checked 10 November 2026.