Jump to:
In planning terms, the line between temporary and permanent can be tricky to pin down. Plastic sheds might not look permanent, but they could be classified as a development within UK laws, depending on the situation at hand. Here’s what you need to know to clear things up.
Are Plastic Sheds Considered Permanent?
Physically speaking, most people consider plastic sheds to be temporary because they’re made from lightweight materials that aren’t designed to be structural in the long term. Other factors that support this idea are if the shed:
Can be dismantled or moved easily;
Sits on paving slabs or decking;
Isn’t fixed to the ground with bolts or concrete.
However, when it comes to the law, the local council doesn’t usually classify garden buildings into neat physical buckets of “temporary” or “permanent.”
But let’s look at the specific situations where this physical distinction between temporary and permanent actually matters:
Allotments, which are rented and therefore allow temporary structures only.
Conservation land and areas of natural beauty, which are subject to tighter restrictions and all sheds may require permission.
Listed buildings, which have curtilage controls applied to the land.
Article 4 areas, where permission is required for all developments.
Business use, where the local authority will want to know if your operations are impacting the surrounding area and for how long.
Rental/shared land, where the development affects tenancy agreements.
Legal complaints/enforcements, where permanence determines whether a shed needed permission or should be removed.
‘Permanent Structure’ Explained
Because the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is quite broad, disputes over what counts as a “building” or “development” have historically been settled by judges. The courts use tests from landmark cases (such as the Cardiff Rating and Skerritts cases) to decide if a structure requires regulation. They look at its size, its physical attachment to the ground, and crucially, its “degree of permanence.”
In these rulings, the courts have made it clear that permanence does not mean everlasting. Even if your plastic shed isn’t bolted down, if it is of a typical shed size and you leave it erected in your garden for months or years, the council will likely view it as having a “degree of permanence.” Therefore, it is a development.
However, we need to bring this back to the reason you’re asking in the first place: permissions. You want to know whether you can erect a shed temporarily. When it comes to the law, it makes little difference whether a shed is physically meant to be permanent or temporary. The development rules apply in either case, and saying it’s “only temporary” won’t protect you from neighbours or the council.
Could you argue in court that it doesn’t have a “degree of permanence”? Possibly. (Though it would help if you had already dismantled it by that point).
Would this be worth going to court over? Almost never.
Do You Need Planning Permission?
No, as long as your plastic shed falls under permitted development. These rules let you make certain changes to your property without having to apply for permission. Sheds used for storage qualify for this, regardless of the material.
However, there are conditions:
- Use: Your plastic shed must not be used for sleeping in or running a business.
- Height: No taller than 2.5m if it’s within 2m of a boundary (like a fence or your neighbour’s wall). Up to 4m allowed for a dual-pitched roof, or 3m for anything else, provided it’s more than 2m from any boundary.
- Placement: You can’t put it in front of your house (like in the front garden) without planning permission.
- Coverage: The garden room mustn’t take up more than half the land around the original house. That means how it was first built, not including extensions.
Get more details here:
Do You Need to Tell Your Council?
No, you don’t have to inform the council about erecting a plastic shed, especially if it follows all permitted development rules. This means it meets the size, placement, and use conditions.
Even so, we recommend checking with your LPA first—better to be safe than risk getting in trouble later.
Summary of Plastic Sheds and Permissions
Most plastic sheds are physically temporary, but in planning terms, they are usually viewed as a ‘development’.
Planning permission isn’t necessary if the permitted development conditions (like height and placement) are met.
Adding permanent fixtures (like bolting to a concrete slab or installing mains electrics) makes it even harder to argue the structure is temporary.
Ultimately, whether you need permission is decided by your shed’s size, placement, and use—not just what it is made of.
When in doubt, check with your local council.
If a truly temporary shed is what you need, perhaps just for a day or two, a fabric pop-up shed might be ideal.
Ultimately, the determination of temporary or permanent is decided by individual circumstances
When in doubt, check with your local council.
If a temporary shed is really what you need, perhaps just for a day or so, a fabric pop-up shed might be ideal.
FAQs
Can I put a plastic shed on a concrete base?
You can, and many do so for better support and extra stability. Just keep in mind that pouring a concrete slab and bolting the shed down heavily reinforces the fact that it is a ‘development’ with a degree of permanence, so you must ensure it meets Permitted Development rules.
Does a plastic shed need building regulations approval?
No, unless it includes electrics or plumbing, and you need to notify your local authority.
Are plastic sheds garden buildings?
Yes, just like wooden or metal ones. They’re meant for outdoor, domestic use.
