A New Town, not an old market town
Crawley's neighbourhoods were developed as a series of planned residential areas from the late 1940s onward, each built around its own local centre, a very different pattern from the older villages elsewhere on this site. Many houses from that era were built with an attached or integral garage as standard, which makes conversion a familiar prospect for plenty of Crawley homeowners.
A separate council from Horsham
Crawley sits within its own borough, so planning applications and building control queries here go through Crawley Borough Council rather than Horsham District Council, even though the two towns are close neighbours. Crawley Borough Council's planning pages set out what's needed for householder projects including garage conversions.
Close to Gatwick
Being so close to Gatwick Airport shapes plenty of Crawley's housing and traffic patterns, and some homeowners factor in noise when deciding how a converted garage room will be used and glazed.
Frequently asked questions
Does Horsham District Council cover planning in Crawley?+
No. Crawley is its own borough, so Crawley Borough Council handles planning applications and building control there, not Horsham District Council.
Is Crawley covered by this site?+
Yes, Crawley sits within the area local installers travel to from Horsham, around 7.3 miles away.
Nearby areas
Services
Useful local links
- Crawley Borough Council – Planning — The planning authority for Crawley, which sits outside the Horsham district boundary.
- GOV.UK – Planning permission: when you need it — Government guidance on when planning permission is required in England and Wales.
- GOV.UK – Party Wall etc. Act 1996 guidance — Government guidance on notifying neighbours and resolving disputes over shared or boundary walls, relevant to attached garage conversions.
- Planning Portal – Garage conversion — National guidance on when planning permission is needed for a garage conversion in England.
- Planning Portal – Extensions — National guidance on permitted development rules for single-storey house extensions.
- Planning Portal – Outbuildings — National guidance on permitted development rules for garden buildings and outbuildings, including height and coverage limits.