Pergolas near you

In England, a free-standing pergola is caught by Class E of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, which covers buildings and enclosures within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse required for a purpose incidental to its enjoyment. Three conditions do most of the work for a pergola. It must not be forward of a wall forming the principal elevation of the original dwellinghouse; it must not exceed 3 metres in height, or 2.5 metres if any part of it is within 2 metres of the boundary of the curtilage; and it must not include the construction or provision of a verandah, balcony or raised platform. That last one is why a pergola built over a raised deck can be a planning application even when the pergola itself is modest.

Wales sets its own figures and one of them catches people out. GOV.WALES guidance says that an outbuilding cannot exceed one storey, that a flat-roofed outbuilding cannot exceed 2.5 metres in height and a single-pitch one 3 metres, that any part within 2 metres of a boundary cannot exceed 2.5 metres, and — the unusual one — that any part of the development within 2 metres of the house cannot exceed 1.5 metres in height. A pergola tucked against the back of a Welsh house is therefore a very different proposition from the same structure a few metres out into the garden.

Scotland handles open garden structures under Class 3B of the 1992 order, described in planning circular 1/2024 as covering building, engineering, installation or other operations in the curtilage not covered by the other classes, including garden works, free-standing solar panels, flag poles, swimming pools and oil tanks. The limits are that the structure is generally to the rear, no more than 3 metres high, and that at least half the relevant front or rear curtilage remains undeveloped — and Class 3B rights do not apply in conservation areas or within the curtilage of a listed building at all. In Northern Ireland, Class D of the 2015 order permits buildings and enclosures within the curtilage but specifically excludes anything consisting of or including a deck, balcony, veranda or other raised platform.

Fixing a pergola to the house changes the question being asked. Class E is about a building within the curtilage that is incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse; a structure bolted to the rear elevation and roofed over a patio door can instead be read as an addition to the house, which is assessed under the extension rules with their own limits on projection, height and materials. The safe course is to describe the design to the local planning authority, or to apply for a lawful development certificate, before building rather than after.

Designated land narrows the options everywhere. In England, on article 2(3) land — the National Parks, the Broads, areas of outstanding natural beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites — Class E does not permit anything between a wall forming a side elevation of the dwellinghouse and the boundary, and buildings, enclosures, pools and containers more than 20 metres from any wall of the house are limited to 10 square metres in total. In Scotland, as noted, Class 3B simply does not apply in a conservation area or a listed building's curtilage.

Listed buildings are the firmest restriction of all. In England, Class E does not permit a building, enclosure, pool or container within the curtilage of a listed building, so a pergola at a listed property is a matter for the local planning authority and, depending on the design, for listed building consent as well. The same applies in Northern Ireland under Class D unless listed building consent has already been granted.

The material is the first fork in the road: a treated softwood frame, an oak frame and a motorised aluminium louvred system are three different price brackets with three different lifespans. After that, the figure moves on size and on ground conditions — how many posts, how deep the bases have to go, whether the structure sits on soil, an existing patio or a deck, whether an existing surface has to be broken out and reinstated, whether the frame is fixed to the house, and how far materials have to be carried from the nearest parking. Anything electrical, such as lighting or a heater, is a separate trade and belongs in the quotation as such.

LokalMatch simply puts you in touch. Set out what you want once with your postcode, including the size, the material you prefer and what the pergola will stand on, and landscapers, carpenters and garden structure installers covering your area will contact you. Using LokalMatch costs homeowners nothing and the businesses pay for the requests they receive. LokalMatch does not build pergolas, does not set prices and does not vet, rank or recommend anyone who replies, so satisfying yourself about the planning position and the fixing details stays with you.