Planning Permission

Permission applications should not be confused with building regulation applications, as these are two very different processes for differing stages of your project.

For residential properties, planning permission and planning consent relates to changes in the appearance or use of buildings such as an extension to a house, or a conversion of a house into flats. Planning can be one of the biggest obstacles to overcome when you start thinking about making changes; alterations or wish to extend your home, and needs to be given serious consideration from the outset. Due to changes in recent years to the planning process, there are a number of projects that can now been completed under ‘Permitted Development’ rights and we will be able to discuss with you whether or not your project could fall within these rights during our initial consultations with you.

What is permitted development?

For small house extensions and alterations to your property, your proposals may fall within your Permitted Development Rights which means that planning permission will not be necessary. There are a number of limits on height, volume (in cubic meters) etc. that your proposals need to be within for permitted development to apply. If your project is eligible for permitted development we would recommend that you apply for a Certificate of Lawful Development to confirm this.

You can find out more about this here using the Government planning portal.

Are there different planning rules for a listed building?

Buildings of particular architectural interest are often officially Listed and thereby protected. Many residential buildings are Grade 2 listed, meaning that all alterations (not just those to the outside or original parts) have to be approved under Listed Building Consent. Making a Listed Building Consent application is similar to making a planning application for your property – but with a few differences. The process may be handled by a conservation officer within your local planning department or might be referred to English Heritage and there is no application fee. In addition your property may be subject to an Article 4 Directive which merely is a statement of the importance of the external facade of your property. As with listed properties, applications for alterations are considered by a number of parties, all offering their advice and expertise as to whether or not your application should be considered favourably.

Are there different planning rules for a conservation area?

Living in a conservation area usually means that changes to the external appearance of your property will be a particularly sensitive issue. You will probably need to complete an application for Conservation Area Consent.

What will I need in order to make a planning application?

Following our initial free of charge site visit and consultation you will be asked to sign and return our Fee Proposal, which will details all of our discussions and agreements, along with the fees being charged for our services. Upon receipt of your signed agreement of this proposal, arrangements will be made for a further site visit to complete a full property survey. This normally takes upwards of 2 hours where all the details and sizes of your property are documented. From these sketch drawings will be provided to you of your home and, if we have discussed your requirements, brief sketches of your project. Once we have agreed a suitable scheme which you are happy with the final submission drawings will be prepared and made ready for a full planning submission to your local authority. As a guide it generally takes approx 4-6 weeks for the initial pre-submission stages, however this can take more or less, dependent upon the speed of reaching an agreed scheme. Thereafter the application will be submitted on your behalf, with LTD Services acting on your behalf as your Agent, to ensure if there are any queries during the planning process, these can be addressed quickly and efficiently. The planning process can take upwards of 8 weeks from submission of a planning application to a decision.