Will a Shepherds Hut need Planning Permission?
Easy answer?
A the shepherd’s hut itself will not need planning permission, it’s the use of the hut that may. As the shepherd’s hut structure is portable the answer is mostly no. But any change of use to the land that the huts are upon could need planning permission. In the curtilage of the house (land immediately surrounding). ‘If the enjoyment of the hut is incidental to the enjoyment of the main dwelling’, then you will not need planning permission. So, this means if the hut is near the house, and you go out to the hut to chill, put your feet up, work or to have friends stay for example then that is all incidental to the enjoyment of the main dwelling.
However ‘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 officially be needed and, if your hut has plumbing connected to the drain or septic tank then it could be seen as being less portable and if services such as septic tanks are required then the Environment Agency will have their own guidelines for that.
Contact us today to schedule a visit and learn more about our Shepherds Huts. We look forward to meeting you!
Is a shepherd's hut warm inside, and how is it constructed?
Our huts are built using modern timber frame house techniques and can be used all year round. The 75mm / 3″ timber frame, wrapped in breather membrane, insulated with PIR insulation 50mm thick all the way round. The internal walls are clad with sustainable pine tongue and groove boards.
When it comes to heating your hut, you have a couple of choices, or a combination of both. We fit tried and tested cast iron stoves. There is a fixed air vent, and a CO alarm, with an integral heat shield. The flue pipe is twin wall all the way from the stove to the chimney cap, helping the length of the flue draw well. We also fit an array of electric radiators.
Can a Shepherd's hut be moved?
Yes, it has an A framed draw bar on the steering end, and a hut can be pulled around using a small 4×4. Whilst many of our shepherd’s hut may only occasionally move from their spot once delivered, at least you know they can be. This is great advantage over an extension or conversion of an existing outbuilding, as you can take it with you if you move and we can also supply rubber wheel to make moving your hut easier.
How do I connect my shepherd's hut to an electric supply?
Shall the hut requires 240v electrics then the basic package for a 16amp supply has a 3-pin commando under the hut, placed wherever you fancy. If there is a power hungry appliance such as an electric shower, then a 64amp supply will be needed. An armoured cable can be trenched underground or clipped to a fence/wall to feed an electric supply to the hut.
Which is best for a Shepherd's hut, tin or wood?
We always say tin, it is just great when it comes to durability and longevity and it is also our standard option so is no extra cost however we offer tongue and groove boards and oak feather edge as they are aesthetically pleasing and are minutely better when it comes to insulation value.
What do I do about drainage for my shepherd's hut?
Your hut if fitted with a flushing toilet and a shower will need to connect either to the main drains or a septic tank or alternatively small treatment plant system. Where connections to a drain aren’t possible, we also fit self-contained composting units and cassette-type toilets.
What can I have my hut cladded in?
We offer shepherd’s huts in corrugated mostly iron cladding, but we do clad huts in timber too. The horizontal sawn boards is usually a sawn feather edge board, the boards overlapping each other. Traditionally the boards were pitched black or naturally durable oak cladding can be left to weather to silver.
What if I can’t get mains electrics to the hut?
Our team will fit a 12v solar kit to the hut which complies of a small semi-flexible panel that sits on the roof and feeds a 110 amp/hr leisure battery. This runs low voltage LED lights and small charger sockets. Larger electric demands from solar kit would need a larger selection of panels with increased battery storage. Our beautiful huts can be completely off-grid and independent with an LPG boiler providing hot water.
Where are Holmes Hill Shepherd's hut wheels made?
The wheels are made in house at the Holmes Hill Shepherds Hut manufacturing unit by skilled fabricators, unlike a lot of shepherds hut suppliers we make fabricated steel wheels and not cast ones, they will not crack or chip and they help to keep our shepherds hut prices down!
What are the shepherd’s hut floors made from?
We offer either pine or engineered oak flooring, both options are lovely but it depends on the aesthetic you are going for, pine is great however oak is more durable and has a better longevity.
Do you have ready-made shepherd's huts?
We usually have a couple of our shepherd’s huts available for immediate delivery, configured in our most popular layouts.
Why are there differences in VAT on your Shepherd Huts?
We usually have a couple of our shepherd’s huts available for immediate delivery, configured in our most popular layouts. The Shepherds Huts without a kitchen and bathroom attracts a VAT rate of 20%. However, Shepherd huts with a kitchen, bed and bathroom are rated by HMRC as Living Accommodation and subject to only 5% VAT rate.
Do you offer finance?
We offer a range of different asset finance options on all our shepherd huts through our partner Portman Group.
