House & Garden
Building extensions and alterations
Want to add that second garage or close in your stoep? Please note that there are specific guidelines for building extensions and alterations in Royal Ascot, as well as certain procedures that must be followed.
Make sure that you follow the correct procedures and pay particular attention to the requirements as outlined below.
Procedures
In terms of the RAMPOA constitution and your precinct constitution, all building plans must be approved by both the Trustees Committee of the precinct and by the RAMPOA Trustees Committee BEFORE being submitted to the City Council for approval (where such approval is required). For alterations where Council approval is not required, the precinct trustees and RAMPOA must still approve the plans.
The procedures are as follows:
•	A plan of the proposed extension or alteration must be submitted to your Trustees Committee. This includes any extension or alteration to your house or apartment, including garden walls, closing in of balconies or stoeps, etc. You can submit your application to the Managing Agent for your precinct who will present it to the Trustees. Council requires 4 copies of the set of plans - any additions or alterations must be clearly indicated in colour on these plans. All four copies must be submitted to RAMPOA, if approved all plans must be stamped. » Go to Building Plans page for Council requirements.
•	If the precinct Trustees Committee approves the plan, it must be signed off by the chairperson and then submitted to RAMPOA Trustees Committee (via the Portfolio Manager at Rabie Property Administrators).
•	The RAMPOA Executive Committee has delegated authority to approve such plans to the Executive Committee who meet once a month. If the plans are approved they will be stamped with the RAMPOA approval stamp, and signed off by the Chairperson of RAMPOA.
•	The approved plan will be returned to your managing agent who will return them to you. If RAMPOA do not approve the plans, they will inform your managing agent of the reasons.
•	Plans must then be submitted to the City Council for final approval. Your architect or builder will know the correct procedure for this step. » Go to Building Plans page for Council requirements.
Important Note:
Please take into account that these procedures take time - the various trustees committees meet at intervals, and the RAMPOA executive committee meet once a month. Submission to Council also takes some time as plans have to be scrutinised to ensure that they meet all planning and zoning requirements.
You can assist by ensuring that your application is as comprehensive and complete as possible - having to send applications back because of incomplete information only extends the period before approval is granted.
» Go to Building Plans page for Council requirements.
Requirements
There are various requirements that you must comply with if you want to make extensions or alterations to your home. If you do not comply with these, your application will not succeed.
The most important requirements are the following:
•	All building extensions or alterations must comply with the architectural guidelines for Royal Ascot - click here to go to the Architectural Guidelines section on this website. The most important items (but not the only ones) relate to the following:
	•	Roofing - material and finishes.
	•	External colours and finishes.
	•	Boundary walls & fences - style, finishes, colours and height.
•	For major alterations and extensions detailed architectural drawings must be submitted.
•	For minor work (which need not be approved by Council) a drawing with detailed specifications must accompany the application.
•	For major alterations and extensions you need your neighbours' comments in writing. If there is an objection, you must address this objection in your application - the City Council will not approve plans unless all objections are addressed.
•	Minor alterations and extensions that do not need City Council approval (e.g. internal precinct garden walls), must also have the neighbours' comments if it affects them - alterations to a boundary wall between properties need the approval of both property owners.
•	All extensions and alterations must comply with the architectural style of the specific precinct.
•	BEFORE planning your extension or alteration, please make sure whether there are any additional requirements specifically for your precinct.
Outbuildings - wooden sheds & Wendy houses
It appears that many owners and residents are not aware that wooden structures like sheds and Wendy houses which are larger than 5m², are defined as “buildings” in terms of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act (Act 103 of 1977), and may not be erected without approval by the City’s Planning & Building Development Management Department. In terms of the RAMPOA constitution all such structures, both smaller and larger than 5m², must also be approved by the relevant Home Owners Association or Body Corporate and by RAMPOA.
The Royal Ascot Architectural Guidelines do not prohibit such structures, but it is required that they match the original design and style of the specific precinct, particularly in terms of material usage. However, individual precincts may have specific requirements in their constitutions or architectural guidelines which must also be complied with.
Thus, even if Council approval is not required, approval for wooden sheds and wendy houses must still be obtained from the Property Owners Association and from RAMPOA.
Please note that there are strict environmental guidelines for contractors to prevent pollution. Please ensure that your contractor is aware of these and comply with the requirements.
» Click here to view Contractors Do's and Don'ts.