Do you need planning permission for a garden shed?
Most garden sheds in England do not need planning permission because they fall under permitted development rights. Under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order, you can put up a shed, summerhouse, greenhouse, or other outbuilding in your garden without applying to the council, provided the building meets certain size and placement rules. The key limits are: the building must be single storey with a maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres, a maximum overall height of 4 metres for a dual-pitch roof or 3 metres for any other roof, and it must not cover more than 50% of the total garden area (excluding the footprint of the original house). The shed must be used for purposes incidental to the enjoyment of the house, meaning storage, a workshop, or a hobby room, not a separate dwelling or a commercial premises. If your shed meets these criteria, you do not need to submit a planning application.
What are the rules for sheds in Cambridge conservation areas?
Cambridge has extensive conservation areas covering much of the city centre, Newnham, parts of Chesterton, and the area around the colleges. If your property falls within a conservation area, the permitted development rules are tighter. You cannot place an outbuilding on land between the side of the house and the boundary facing the highway without planning permission. The building must also not have a footprint larger than 10 square metres if it is more than 20 metres from any wall of the house. These restrictions aim to preserve the character of the streetscape and the setting of historic buildings. In practice, most rear garden sheds in conservation areas still fall within permitted development, but side-of-house placements and larger outbuildings near the road will need a full planning application. Cambridge City Council's planning department can confirm whether your property is in a conservation area via their online mapping tool.
What size shed can I build without permission?
Under permitted development, you can build a shed up to 2.5 metres at the eaves and 4 metres at the ridge (for a pitched roof) or 3 metres maximum height for a flat or pent roof. The shed must not project beyond the front wall of the original house when facing a highway, and total outbuilding coverage must stay under 50% of the garden. For a typical Cambridge terraced house with a 60-square-metre rear garden, this means you could comfortably fit a 3-metre by 2.4-metre shed (7.2 square metres) without approaching the 50% limit. Detached properties with larger gardens have more room: a 5-metre by 4-metre workshop (20 square metres) would be fine on a garden of 100 square metres or more. If you want a building taller than 2.5 metres at the eaves, or if you need to place it within 2 metres of the boundary and it exceeds 2.5 metres in overall height, you will need planning permission.
When do you need planning permission for a shed in Cambridge?
You need planning permission if the shed exceeds the height limits, if the total outbuilding coverage exceeds 50% of the garden, if the building is forward of the principal elevation facing the highway, or if your permitted development rights have been removed by a condition on the original planning consent (common on newer housing estates in areas like Trumpington Meadows and Northstowe). You also need permission if you intend to use the shed for a purpose that is not incidental to the house, such as running a business with clients visiting, or using it as a separate living space. Listed buildings have additional restrictions: any outbuilding in the curtilage of a listed building may require listed building consent as well as planning permission. Cambridge has many listed properties, particularly in the central and historic areas, so always check before proceeding. A planning application to Cambridge City Council costs £206 for a householder application in 2026.
How ELawnCare can help with garden preparation for outbuildings
ELawnCare does not build sheds, but we handle the groundwork that comes before and after. Before installation, we can clear the area, remove old fencing or overgrown vegetation, level the ground, and lay a gravel or slab base for the shed to sit on. Our landscaping service covers base preparation, drainage installation if the site is prone to waterlogging, and path building to connect the shed to the house. After installation, we can turf or seed around the new building, plant screening hedges for privacy, and install fencing to integrate the shed into the garden design. Many Cambridge customers combine a shed installation with a wider garden makeover, using the project as a trigger to redesign borders, paths, and planting. ELawnCare can project-manage the garden side of the work while your shed supplier handles the building itself.