There are certain types of development, changes of use and minor works that can be carried out without the need to apply for planning permission. These types of work/development are known as “Permitted Development”.
Whether you need to apply for planning permission will depend on a number of factors. These include:
- what you want to do
- where you want to do it
- the constraints on and around the site / property
- planning history at the site / property
You can use The Planning Portal to get advice on your permitted development rights and common projects for residential properties, such as extensions or loft conversions.
Restrictions to permitted development
Some times permitted development rights are more restricted or removed. This means you will need to apply for planning permission for certain types of work where you may not need to in other situations. These include:
- listed buildings - if your property is a listed building you will require listed building consent before carrying out any type of work, internally or externally, even if your proposals are considered to be permitted development for the purposes of planning permission
- conservation areas and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty - there may be greater restrictions on what is permitted development if you live within a Conservation Area or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- removal of permitted development rights - permitted development rights may have been withdrawn either: by conditions on previous planning permissions or by an article 4 direction. This will mean that you may have to submit a planning application for work that you want to carry out
Please do not use our Permitted Development form to apply for Prior Approval. The quickest and easiest way to submit an application for Prior Approval is via the Planning Portal.
Our non householder permitted development service
Further to the Planning Portal, we offer an informal process, to tell you whether or not you will need planning permission.
Before you start
You will need:
- information about your proposal such as dimensions and materials
- any supporting documents you'd like to attach to help explain what you're going to do. We suggest:
- plans (either drawn to scale or with the measurements clearly written on them)
- elevations (either drawn to scale or with the measurements clearly written on them)
- a credit or debit card to make payment
Costs for this service
Permitted development enquiries for non householder proposals (e.g. new build houses, commercial or agricultural premises): £150 (includes VAT)
We aim to respond within 4 weeks
How to apply
Download and fill out the form and email or post it to us:
- get the permitted development enquiry form as a word document
- get the permitted development enquiry form as a PDF document
You will receive a written response, that is an informal officer opinion, that details whether you will require planning permission. If you want a legal opinion, you will need to complete a "Lawful Development Certificate" application.
If you need permission
If you believe your proposal does not meet the permitted development criteria then you will need to submit a planning application.
Alternatively, you can apply for pre application advice before you submit.
Other considerations before you start work
There are a number of issues in addition to those directly connected to the planning and building control that you should consider before starting work. For further information please see the Planning Portal website.