FAQs

As the shepherd’s hut structure is on wheels and is portable the answer is often no. But any change of use of the land that the huts stand upon may need planning permission. Planning permission guidelines can be found online on your local district council website – local plan policy is a good starting point if you do need planning permission, as if your project falls within the local plan that is a positive thing. In the curtilage of the house, and if the enjoyment of the hut is incidental to the enjoyment of the main dwelling then you don’t need planning permission. So if the hut is near the house, and you go out to the hut to paint, play the guitar, have friends to stay then that is all incidental to the enjoyment of the main dwelling. The test of ‘has a material change of use occurred’ is a good question to ask – if a hut is placed on an agricultural field, and it becomes a holiday let then planning permission would probably be needed. There is a permanency question too; can the hut be moved without large machinery? Yes it can, so it isn’t seen as a permanent structure. But if your hut has plumbing connected to the drain or septic tank (perhaps for a glamping venture) then it could be seen as being less portable – and if services such as septic tanks are needed then the Environment Agency will have guidelines for that, protecting watercourses.  The simple answer is the shepherd’s hut itself doesn’t need planning permission, it’s what you are doing with it that may do.