planning permission
Legal permission granted by a government authority to construct on one's land, or to change the use of the land.
planning permission: the legal gate before breaking ground
Planning permission is the formal approval issued by a local planning authority that grants you the right to carry out construction work, demolish buildings, or change how land or buildings are used. Without it, you cannot legally proceed with most development. It is distinct from building regulations approval, which checks that your design meets safety and structural standards, and distinct from title ownership: you may own the land but still need permission to build on it.
The scope of what requires permission varies by jurisdiction and local planning policy. Minor works such as internal alterations, small sheds, or fencing under certain heights may be permitted development, requiring no application. Larger projects, material changes of use (converting a house to flats, a shop to offices), and demolition almost always require formal consent. Your local authority publishes schedules of permitted development; these thresholds and exemptions are crucial to understand before design begins.
The application and assessment process
You submit an application with plans, a site location plan, and supporting documents describing the proposal. The authority consults neighbours, statutory bodies (highways, environmental health, water companies), and reviews the scheme against the local development plan, national policy, and precedent decisions. Assessment takes eight weeks for householder applications and thirteen weeks for major schemes, though this can extend if the applicant submits further information. The authority can grant unconditional permission, grant it with conditions, or refuse it.
Conditions are common: requiring certain materials, limiting hours of construction, mandating landscaping, or securing contributions to off-site infrastructure. These become enforceable obligations. Refusals can be appealed to a higher authority or the planning inspector within a set period, and appeals often hinge on policy interpretation rather than new evidence.
The term reflects the spatial planning tradition of controlling land use at the municipal or regional level. Once granted, permission typically lasts three years for commencement; if you do not begin work within that period, you must reapply. Permissions can lapse, be subject to time limits for completion, or require discharge of conditions before occupation.