Planning guidance
As a
childminder you will probably be working from your own home,
running your own business. Running a business from a domestic
property usually requires planning permission, and it is at the
discretion of local planning authorities, having taken into account
the individual circumstances of each case, to determine whether new
childminding activity will constitute a ‘material change of use’
and therefore require planning permission.
Planning Policy Guidance issued to local planning authorities by
the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in
1992, quotes childminding as an example of working from home where
planning permission for change of use will not normally be
required.
The Sure Start, Extended Schools and Childcare Group has worked
closely with Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and Ofsted
in drafting a joint guidance document for local planning
authorities, Ofsted regional teams and LA Early Years and childcare
departments. This guidance encourages greater collaborative working
between these parties in order to resolve conflicting objectives,
for example Early Years and childcare departments will be
encouraged to share information on the local supply of and demand
for childcare with local planning authorities, and local planning
authorities are encouraged to actively consider the local need for
childcare when formulating planning policy.
You may still require planning permission if, for example, you
build an extension, work from a listed building or are working with
other people, so you should always check with your planning office.
Newly registered childminders should also always check whether they
require planning permission but local planning offices should now
be more considerate about applications as a result of the guidance
issued.