Improving your home just became a whole lot easier for tens of thousands of families Housing and Planning Minister Caroline Flint announced.

Following regulations laid on the 10 September the new planning rules mean that the majority of homeowners will no longer need to get planning permission to extend their home.

The changes allow people to extend their home up and out for the first time without needing to pay the costs (up to £1,000) or wait weeks to get planning permission to start building.

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About 80,000 households will now find it easier to improve their homes because they no longer have to go through the bureaucratic hurdles of the planning system.

Importantly carefully calculated size limits on these permitted extensions mean the new rules strike the right balance between helping homeowners to better their home and protecting neighbours against larger inappropriate or intrusive extensions.

Ms Flint said: "The changes the government has made will mean about 80,000 households a year no longer have to get planning permission.

"At a time when the whole country is counting their pennies carefully any room to make a saving on stretched family finances is particularly welcome."

(CD/JM)