Applying for planning permission
If you wish to build, extend or demolish a property or develop or change the use of a building or piece of land you may need to apply for planning permission.
Planning applications are decided in accordance with the development plan, unless there is a very good reason not to do so. The current local development plan is the Unitary Development Plan 2006 and the emerging Local Development Framework.
Details
You can submit a planning application online using the planning portal, or post or deliver the application to the council. Application forms and guidance notes are available to download.
You may also need to apply for other consents from the Council should your property be a Listed Building or lie within a Conservation Area, or if you wish to obtain a determination as to whether a proposal does or does not require planning permission, known as a Certificate of Lawfulness or Lawful Development Certificate.
When planning permission has been granted, it is likely that you may also need Building Regulations Approval.
More detailed general guidance about the kinds of work for which you need to apply for planning permission and those for which you do not is available online from the Planning Portal website.
From 11th April 2011 due to the introduction of charging for pre-application advice, we will no longer be able to negotiate on planning applications.
Although we are unable to advise informally as to whether development requires planning permission, or on the merits of a proposal, we are able to advise what you need to submit with your application, the fee payable and answer questions regarding the application process.
Please note that any application received more than 4 weeks before today, may be determined under delegated powers at any time. Unfortunately the Council does not have the resources to notify applicants, agents or any other party of expected decision dates and decision notices are only sent to applicants (via their agents where relevant) . Please contact us if you require further information regarding the expected decision date for a particular application.
Please note that when you submit a valid application, the detailed plans and other supporting details that you submit with your application will be scanned and published on our website. Therefore, to enable details to be viewed electronically, all drawings should include key written measurements, a scale bar indicating the length of 1 metre and 10 metres where appropriate, and state the drawing scale and page size, e.g. 1:50 at A1. For further information regarding application submission requirements please view the checklist associated with the relevant application form.
Local information requirements
The council has approved Local Information Requirements for all types of town planning applications. It is recommended that these are referred to prior to submitting any application. More information on relevant local requirements, is provided in the checklist accompanying each application form. We will soon be consulting on the addition of the London Mayor's Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) forms to the local list of required information.
The London Mayor's Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)
The Government has introduced a new levy (CIL) to be paid by developers to help fund infrastructure required to support the development of its area. It will be paid by most new development, and planning applicants are expected to complete the additional CIL information form and submit alongside the planning application form, and if the development is liable for CIL an Assumption of Liability notice.
Copyright
Plans, drawings and materials submitted to the Council are protected by the Copyright Acts (Section 47, 1988 Act). Our website therefore clearly states that material which is downloaded and/or printed may only be used for consultation purposes, to compare current applications with previous schemes and to check whether development have been completed in accordance with approved plans. Further copies must not be made without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
Cost
A schedule of nationally set planning fees is available. See our service charges for additional administration charges.
