Planning Applications in the United Kingdom

Planning applications are the tool for getting a planning permit in the case of home improvement or building on land, they are the most basic tool of town planning. When constructing new buildings, having decided on substantial additions or alterations on a piece of land or building, or even a change of use of land, you might require planning permission. These are applied for with the means of planning applications.

Planning applications in the UK, however, are not required in all cases of building alteration. Planning permission might not be needed for internal alterations to buildings that don't affect the structure or external appearance of the building itself. In the case of smaller works, like external maintenance or repair, a planning permit might not be a necessity. You should always seek the help of a planning applications officer when deciding on making alterations of this type, having made changes without a permit might cause unnecessary stress and lead to fines. A planning applications officer can also advise you in whether you actually need a permit for the work in mind or if the amount of change will not be frowned upon by local officials. Companies that specialize in town planning will be able to identify the need of a permit a lot faster than unexperienced individuals and can offer competent advice and solutions to your planning needs. Take note, planning applications do cost money but fines will be much harder to bare if alterations are made without planning consent.

In the UK, areas considered to be of special architectural value or bare historic significance are protected by local Council. Conservation Areas or Listed Buildings require different planning, as these are buildings or areas that are of special historic or architectural interest and are intended to stay the same - maintenance and repair is permitted however even in these cases but planning applications might differ.

In the United Kingdom most Councils usually designate Conservation Areas, specialized institutions should be able to help you in determining which these are, plan proposal maps, however, could also be of great help in identifying these areas. All planning applications offices should be able to help you determine whether a certain area falls under this criteria or not.

Legislation regarding planning, in these cases, is meant to give more control to the Council in protecting areas considered to be of special, significant interest. This does not mean that your planning proposal will automatically be rejected, it simply implies that it might be a bit more tedious than in normal circumstances. Planning applications specialists will be able to help you in obtaining a construction work permit whichever the case. You might need to keep the structure of the building intact though.

Some types of development, as mentioned earlier, do not require a planning permit. You might or might not need to submit applications for repair or re-modeling. Usually, a permit is required in the case of re-modeling, though, to make sure all codes are met when the changes take place (electrical, fire, plumbing, etc.).

If you are making minor changes or repairs on your building, an application will probably not be necessary, however, if you intend committing to bigger improvements for example, like new plumbing or re-wiring, demolition or construction, permission from local officials will be needed.

You need to submit planning applications when you are extending your house but some (very restricted) development rights do exist even in this case, when you might not need a planning permit from local officials.
You might need to submit planning applications when building a garage or a swimming pool, some new buildings, though, are allowed within residential property without planning consent.
You most likely need to submit planning applications when looking to extend your garden into adjoining territory.
You might need to submit planning applications when erecting a fence on your property. This, however, is not always required, you should always check first.
You will most definitely need to submit planning applications when building over a site where a construction was demolished.
Converting a flat into an office or shop will most likely require the submission of planning applications and consent from local officials is a must.
You might need to submit planning applications for a caravan on your property in some very special cases. If the caravan is an annex to the house, you might not need a permit, but a caravan can in no case become main residence all by itself for example.