• With all building work, the owner of a property (or land) is ultimately responsible for complying with the relevant planning rules and building regulations (regardless of the need to apply for planning permission and/or building regulations approval or not).
    Therefore, failure to comply with the relevant rules will result in the owner being liable for any remedial action (which could go as far as demolition and/or restoration)
    There are also other considerations 'before you start work' such as health and safety requirements and additional permissions that may need to be granted such as rights of way or listed buildings consent.
    Planning Permission is generally not necessary for alterations affecting only the inside of buildings; nor need you apply to make small alterations to the outside such as the installation of telephone connections and alarm boxes. Nevertheless other changes – for example, basements, conservatories, extensions, external walls, fences, gates and garden walls, garage conversion, patio and driveway porch – have a general planning permission for which an application is required.
    The law requires that all applications for planning permission should be decided in accordance with the policies of the "development plan" It is therefore most important that an applicant for planning permission satisfy themselves about the relevant local development plan policies before making an application.

Preliminary enquiries

We provide you for an assessment of whether you stand a reasonable chance of getting permission before the application
We check formally with the council whether your proposed works need planning permission.
This may be helpful if the need for permission is not clear-cut, or if you wish to establish that an existing land-use is lawful.
Before making your application we will consult any neighbours who might be affected by your proposal, and the parish or town council. We also consider meeting planning staff at the local council to which we are applying. In more complicated cases, the council may say that it is likely to require various appraisals, assessments or statements from you, as supporting evidence to accompany the application.
We will ask what further information and evidence you will have to provide, and in what form as well as which development plan documents and design guides you should look at
We’ll ensure you know about any relevant constraints such as the proximity of a listed building or a conservation area or if you need additional expert help from a planning consultant, architect or engineer.
We’ll check what the building tax will be, and how long the application may take to decide
The level of preparation required depends on what you propose to do. In simple cases it should be sufficient to look at the main issues governing the grant of permission and decide which of these are relevant to your application. In other cases we may have to back up our arguments with evidence from experts.

Making the application

It is not necessary to make the application yourself. If you wish, you can appoint us to make it for you.

The application will be accompanied by a plan of the site, details of any proposed works and the receipt of the construction tax paid.
Your council will tell us how much is payable. The amount varies according to the cost of the building works proposed. The revenue from fees contributes towards the cost to the council of handling applications and the fee is not refundable unless the application is invalid.

Progress of the application

If we feel the planning department is being slow in dealing with your application, we can ask them when a decision is likely
We’ll find out the dates of future committee meetings, making your application at the right time. We’ll always track the progress of your application
If we do not get a decision within 6 months of making the formal application the permission will be considered as granted by law.
Planning applications are decided in line with the development plan unless there are very good reasons not to do so. Points that will be looked at include the following:

- number, size, layout, siting and external appearance of buildings;
- proposed means of access, landscaping and impact on the neighbourhood;
- availability of infrastructure, such as roads and water supply; and proposed use of the development.

Application refused

Councils must give written reasons for all its decisions on planning applications.
If the council refuses the application outright, we may appeal the refusal.

When permission is granted

Generally, unless the permission says otherwise, you can begin the building works at any time within a limited period of the granting of planning permission. If you have not started work by then you will need to reapply.
Planning permission runs with the land. Therefore, the question of who is to carry out development for which permission has been granted, or subsequently occupies the dwelling, is not normally relevant. This means that land or buildings can usually be sold or let with the benefit of planning permission.