Generally planning permission is not required for containers but you must make sure with your local authority before proceeding or placing an order.

Recent experience has been that local councils are not really interested in the container itself but rather more in the fee that can be generated from the sometimes unnecessary application! 

It is important to be aware that there are many instances where planning is not needed and our advice could save you quite a tidy sum. We are not planning experts, but we can give you help and guidance based on years of experience For instance did you know that containers usually don't need planning permission - because they are classed as temporary structures as they have no concrete floor or footings?

Outbuildings: Neither Planning Permission or Building Regulation approval is required provided that: Outbuildings do not cover more than half of the area of the garden; not including the area occupied by the house. It is not more than 3m high for a flat roof, or 4m with a ridged roof. No part projects beyond any wall of the house that faces a road. The outbuilding is for use only by those who occupy the house.

A garage is considered to be an extension if it is located within 5m of the original building, so the same rules for planning permission apply. Where it is positioned more than 5m from the existing house, a garage is considered to be as a shed . If a garage adjoins the house, Building Regulations approval is required. A detached garage is exempt from Building Regulations provided: The floor area is less than 30 sq metres. It is more than 1m from a boundary, or it is a single storey and constructed of wholly non-combustible material. It contains no sleeping accommodation.

Factory or warehouse extensions:  You do not normally need planning permission if your extension is: less than 1000 square metres of floor space; and less than 25 per cent of the volume of the original building; and below the height of the original building. The extension must be related to the current use of the building or the provision of staff facilities. You do need planning permission if the extension: materially affects the external appearance of the building; or comes within five metres of the boundary of the site; or reduces the amount of space available for parking or turning of vehicles.

Volume is calculated from external measurements. 'Original' means as first built, or as the building stood on 1 July 1948, if built before then. The allowance is once and for all; any previous enlargement of the building counts against these freedoms.

Temporary uses of land or structures:
The positioning of temporary buildings, structures, plant or machinery does not normally require permission, provided such buildings are required in connection with works or operations being undertaken on the land. The external storage of goods, materials, equipment or the parking of vehicles within the curtilage of an industrial building does not normally require permission. Fencing, walls, gates or other means of enclosure up to a height of 2 metres will not require planning permission except within the curtilage of a listed building or where such means of enclosure would be adjacent to a highway.