Planning permission

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See Development Control for an overall explanation of how Control under the U.K Town and Country Planning legislation is operated. This includes a useful item on Public Involvement in Planning Applications.

Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required by property developers and private individuals in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on, or change the use of, a plot of land or to redevelop an existing building. In certain circumstances planning permission is not required before work can commence and this is known as permitted development.

The concept was introduced in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. The planning permission system is administered by the Local Planning Authority.

A number of different types of planning permission can be applied for:-

1. Full planning permission

2. Outline Permission

3. Reserved matters (seeking permission for those aspects that were not dealt with in the outline permission)

4. Renewal of full planning permission.

5. Removal or alteration of a planning condition

Planning permissions are usually granted for 3 years and typically contain a number of planning conditions that need to be complied with (eg. built as per the approved drawings, trees planted as per the landscape scheme and replaced if they die in the first few years, materials should be approved by the Local Authority etc.) Some of these will need to be complied with before any work starts on site others may not. It can be difficult to sell a property that does not have fully discharged planning conditions.

Once granted, planning permissions (with very few exceptions) relate to the Land and not the person who applied - The Applicant. This is important because it means that land can be sold 'With the benefit of planning permission'.

How do you apply for planning permission? You will need to contact the planning officer at your local council to discuss what type of application is required. If you are applying for Full Permission, your application will need to include detailed site location plans showing the extent of your development. You will usually need to submit five or six copies to illustrate: 1. The location of your present site and its boundaries, with the layout of your proposed development. 2. The relationship of your development with the surrounding area.

Site location mapping

All applications must include copies of a location plan based on an up-to-date map at a scale of 1:1250, 1:2500 or in remote areas 1:10000. The number of copies required does vary, the regulations usually require one original and a further four copies Plans. The properties shown should be numbered or named to ensure that the exact location of the application site is clear. Site detail mapping

The regulations usually require one original and a further three copies. This should be drawn at a scale of at 1:500 or 1:200 and should accurately show the proposed development in relation to the site boundaries and other existing buildings on the site, with written dimensions including those to the boundaries.

You can buy these maps online at [1]

1 Types of Permission
2 Listed Building Consent and Conservation Area Consent
3 Refusal of Planning Permission
4 Call Ins
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Types of Permission

[edit] Full Planning application

An application deposited under this procedure needs to contain all necessary specified information to first be registered by the local authority. This will include as a minimum:-

A Location plan at 1:1250 scale
A block site plan
Plans and elevations at minimum 1:100 scale
A Design and access statement (From the 10th August 2006)

The local authority will check the plans and consult their Statutory consultees and the general public who must comment within three weeks. The authority must complete the procedure by issuing a decision within eight weeks or, for major applications 13 weeks. If agreed with the applicant, extensions of time are permissible.

If the application is of a minor nature then a planning officer can be given Delegated powers by the Planning committee to determine the application on their behalf.

Larger applications are determined during meetings of the planning committee where the decision will be put to the vote after reports and recommendations are given by the planning officer. The committee also has the power to 'call in' minor applications for full open discussion.

[edit] Outline Planning Permission

[edit] Reserved Matters Planning Permission

[edit] Renewal of full planning Permission

[edit] Removal or alteration of a planning condition

[edit] Listed Building Consent and Conservation Area Consent

For listed buildings or buildings within conservation areas, additional Listed building consent or conservation area consent will be required.

[edit] Refusal of Planning Permission

An unsuccessul applicant can appeal against a refusal of planning permission to the Secretary of State (currently the Department for Communities and Local Government - DCLG). The Planning Inspectorate usually acts on the Secretary of State's behalf in determining appeals. See Planning Appeals.

[edit] Call Ins

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government can "call in" certain Planning Applications that local authorities propose to approve. For example, where it may have wider effects beyond the immediate locality, significant regional or national controversy, or potential conflict with national policy. These will then be subject to a public inquiry presided over by a Planning Inspector who will make recommendation to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who will decide the application instead of the Local Planning Authority.

Once a planning permission (conditional or otherwise) has been obtained it is usual to then apply for Building regulations approval

Main article: Town and Country Planning in the United Kingdom