When you need it
You’ll probably need planning permission if you want to:
- build something new
- make a major change to your building, eg building an extension
- change the use of your building
To find out if your project will need planning permission, contact your local planning authority (LPA).
Applying for planning permission
You can apply for planning permission online.
If your project needs planning permission and you do the work without getting it, you can be served an ‘enforcement notice’ ordering you to undo all the changes you have made.
Building regulations approval
You must check if you need approval before you construct or change buildings in certain ways.
You do not need to get approval yourself if you use someone registered with a competent person scheme.
Work covered by building regulations
The Building Regulations 2010 cover the construction and extension of buildings.
You might also need building regulations approval for many alteration projects, including if you plan to:
- replace fuse boxes and connected electrics
- install a bathroom that will involve plumbing
- change electrics near a bath or shower
- put in a fixed air-conditioning system
- replace windows and doors
- replace roof coverings on pitched and flat roofs
- install or replace a heating system
- add extra radiators to a heating system
Listed Building
APPLYING FOR LISTED BUILDING CONSENT & PLANNING PERMISSION
Applications for listed building consent or planning permission are made to the relevant local authority. They can be made online through the national Planning Portal or in paper directly to the local planning authority. An application will normally be allocated to a planning case officer who will consult the conservation officer (and the national amenity societies in more significant cases) before making a recommendation to either permit of refuse consent.
Securing listed building consent is not always a straightforward process, but according to Historic England, almost 90% of listed consent applications are approved. It is, however, worth noting that many proposed listed building alterations do not make it to the formal application stage and some are withdrawn prior to determination.
Where consent is refused, or where it is granted subject to conditions which are considered to be unnecessary or unreasonable, the applicant has the right of appeal to the Secretary of State.
EXTENSIONS TO LISTED BUILDINGS
The local planning authority will expect any application to extend a listed building to be sensitively designed and to positively preserve the building’s special architectural or historic interest. Extensions, where acceptable in principle, are normally required to be modest in their scale, siting and materials so that they do not dominate the listed building or detract from its character. Some extensions offer a positive opportunity to enhance the listed building either by removal of less sympathetic extensions from the past or by the positive contribution that the new extension makes itself.
Some listed buildings lend themselves to being extended whereas some do not. In some situations achieving a good design with modest impact can be extremely challenging and is likely to require the skills of a good conservation architect. Pre-application discussions with the local planning authority can help to give an indication of whether proposals are likely to be worth committing time and expense to.
