building regs/garage doors

[terence7556]

i have been asked to amend my extension application because of the width of the ground floor room that is a proposed garage. available width is 2.7mt brick to brick internally.
the problem is the min. width of the garage doors after the piers are taken into account.one side is the existing house/other side is one metre from next door.on no account can that metre be messed width.
any advice or knowledge of the regs to assist me.thanks

[buildersmate]

Trying to understand.
Are you saying Building Control say you can't have it as a garage because its only 2.7m wide?

[terence7556]

no they are saying that size effects the door width because after the piers are built there is only so much room left for the garage door to fit between the piers
so how can i claim its a garage if there is not enough room for a vehicle to drive into it, as per the regs.
i thought 2.7m was plenty once a car was inside but now im not sure and i tried to find out on google but anything to do with the regs does,nt appear to answer such specific questions as the one ive posted (not very clearly though)

[buildersmate]

Well my little Pocket Book suggests that 2.4m internal width is the minimum for a single garage assuming the door is offset from the space behind. This gives 200mm passenger side, 1600mm for the car, 600mm minimum space to get out on drivers side. These are absolute minimums and a better space is 200+1700+950 equals 2850mm.
Regarding doors and frames, I guess you know the minimum is 6ft6in for both, but 7ft is better. These acursed things are still imperial sizes.
But none of the above has any impact on BR, and as far as I know there's nothing in BR on sizes of garages - as you say. A garage is a non-habitable space and only parts of BR applies to an attached garage - things like fire protection. But I guess you know that.
Are you sure this isn't a PLANNING permission issue, where they are saying you are going to have to park in the road because up to now you've been able to park in the space adjoining the house and now your garage is too narrow to put a car into. Otherwise, why not just call it a large shed, not a garage.

[terence7556]

you are correct this is a planning application issue and the young lady dealing with the application informed me that the minimum width for a garage door is 8 feet, which i thought was too wide but on the other elevation i have a garage with a single door that is 95 ins wide. (i intend to use this space differently should the application ever pass and be built)
i will re submit this part we have been asked to look at and see how we get on. i suppose its good that these things are looked at so thoroughly and in the future i will be able to smile about it
buildersmate thanks for your answer, i knew when you replied the response would be concise and logical
if you have a spare moment pop over to france and sort out the home nations before the southern hemisphere teams kick our butts again

[buildersmate]

I think it's a local interpretation by that Planning Dept., not a national standard. I don't know of any guidance that says a garage must be 8 feet wide minimum. It's like saying the third bedroom must be 8x8ft minimum or you can't have permission for a 3-bed house.
Try and work with them and bring her around.
You could go closer than one metre to the boundary but would have to check out the implications of the Party Wall Act. The foundations can't go over the boundary, of course, but you've still space to play with there.