If you are a small business looking for planning advice please read our guide below.
If you are a developer looking to build new homes, converting your property into flats, building new employment spaces, or changing use, our pre-application developer service can help you as to whether planning permission is required.
Pre-application advice is a way of finding out whether a specific development would be likely to be acceptable. It will highlight any key issues before the submission of a formal application.
Our pre-application advice service has many benefits. Some of these include:
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saving time and money
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reducing the number of unsuccessful planning applications
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making sure you provide enough information to support your final application
For further information on whether you need planning permission please visit the Planning Portal.
About ‘permitted development’
This indicates that planning permission is not usually needed.
However, certain criteria will often need to be met for the work to be considered a permitted development. If the work that you have planned does not meet these criteria, then it does not fall under permitted development and planning permission will be needed.
You are strongly advised to read the Government’s technical guidance document to help understand how permitted development rules might apply to your projects.
Under common law a highway is defined as 'a way over which there exists a public right of passage'. A highway can be a road or a footpath. It does not have to be a drivable route.
There are 3 types of highway:
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A road or footpath maintainable at the public expense – referred to as 'adopted'
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a road or footpath maintainable at private expense – referred to as 'unadopted'
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a private street/footway or footpath
The first 2 are the same with the difference being as to who maintains it.
A private road is considered a highway unless it is truly a private piece of land owned by one or more parties. More often these ‘private’ roads are simply unadopted roads.
You will normally need planning permission to put tables and chairs on the highway outside of your premises. This is because it involves a change to the use of that land. The term 'highway' includes the carriageway and footway, alleys, and passageways.
You might not need planning permission if all the land is on a private forecourt. For example, if the use of the tables and chairs is an extension of the ground floor use of the premises. However, you will require a Highway Amenities Licence (add link to the section on website that talks about these licenses) from us.
Projects that normally have permitted development rights (do not need permission):
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adverts and signs
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working from home
You should apply for full planning permission to install, change, or replace a CCTV camera if:
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its dimensions will be greater than 75cm x 25cm x 25cm (including its housing)
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it will be positioned less than 2.5m from the ground
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it will protrude more than 1 meter from the wall
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it will be less than 10 meters from another camera on the property
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more than four cameras will be attached to the same side of the property in total
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more than 16 cameras will be attached to the whole property.
Before you buy or rent an antenna, check whether you need planning permission, listed building consent, or permission from the landlord or owner. You are responsible for placing antennas in the appropriate position.
The planning permission and permitted development rules for antennas are shown below. You can view our good practice guidance on installing an antenna (which also contains more advice on installation).
Under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended), you have a general permission to install an antenna up to a specific size on property without the need for planning permission. This general permission depends on your house type and area.
Buildings are in 4 categories detailed on the Planning Portal:
To confirm the use class of building and or land, the following links and information can provide the relevant information:
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the use class order can be found via the Planning Portal
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search for the current use of the land, this may be under the planning history of the site.
- if you require confirmation on the use class of a land or building please apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.
You do not necessarily need planning permission to work from home. The key test is whether the overall character of the dwelling will change. If the answer to any of the following questions is "yes", then planning permission will probably be required:
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Will your home no longer be used mainly as a private residence?
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Will your business result in a marked rise in traffic or visitors calling?
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Will your business involve any activities unusual in a residential area?
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Will your business disturb your neighbours at unreasonable hours or create other forms of nuisance such as noise or smells?
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Will you need to extend your house specifically to accommodate the new business?
Minor extensions, including the erection of additional buildings within the curtilage, may not need planning permission. The guidance below indicates when planning permission will generally not be required.
Planning permission will not normally be required if your extension is:
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less than 1000 square metres of floor space
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less than 25 per cent of the volume of the original building
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below the height of the original building.
The extension must be related to the current use of the building or the provision of staff facilities. Planning permission will be required if the extension:
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materially affects the external appearance of the building
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comes within 5 metres of the boundary of the site
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reduces the amount of space available for parking or turning of vehicles.
Volume is calculated from external measurements. "Original" means as first built, or as the building stood on 1 July 1948, if built before then.
Planning permission will not normally be required if your extension is:
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less than 50 square metres of floor space or less than 25 per cent of the gross floor space of the original building (whichever is lesser)
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below the height of the building being extended or, if within 10 metres of a boundary, five metres high
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if within a Conservation Area, extensions must be constructed using materials which have a similar external appearance to those used for the building being extended
The extension must be related to the current use of the building. Planning permission will be required if the extension:
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comes within 5 metres of the boundary of the site
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is to a Listed Building
Alterations to office buildings outside Conservation Areas can also be permitted, subject to the same restrictions above, but can only be at ground floor level.
"Original" means as first built, or as the building stood on 1 July 1948, if built before then. Where two or more original buildings are within the same curtilage and are used for the same undertaking, they are treated as a single original building in making any measurement. Office building means any building within Use Class B1(a).
The construction of new premises nearly always needs planning permission. The Local Plan will guide you as to which areas are appropriate for new business premises.
For further information concerning agricultural developments please consult the DCLG's Farmer's Guide to Planning.
Some change of use can be carried out through Permitted development rights, which can be found here:
If you require further guidance on change of use, this can be obtained through our Pre-application service.