Planning permission in Great Britain is decided locally. The broad framework is set nationally, but the detail that affects a real project, what you can build without an application, what a council expects to see when you do apply, and the policies your proposal is judged against, is set by the local planning authority for the area. Two similar houses a few miles apart can sit under different rules. Knowing the local position before any drawings are prepared is part of how I work.
This guide explains the main areas where councils differ, and how the systems in England, Wales and Scotland differ from one another.
Every council works to its own Local Plan
Each local planning authority prepares a Local Plan that sets out its policies for new development, from housing and design to heritage and the environment. A planning application is judged against that plan first, so the same proposal can be supported in one area and resisted in another. Local Plans are also at different stages: some are recently adopted, others are under review, and the weight given to an emerging plan changes as it progresses. I check the current plan and its status for the area before advising on a route. The government explains how these plans are made in its plan-making guidance.
What a council asks for with an application varies
When you submit an application, the council validates it against a national list of requirements and its own published local list. The local validation requirements differ between authorities: one may ask for a daylight study or an arboricultural report where another does not. An application that is missing a required document is not made valid, which delays the decision. Preparing the right documents for the specific council at the outset avoids that.
Permitted development is not the same everywhere
Many smaller works, such as certain extensions, can be carried out as permitted development without a full application. Those rights can be removed in a defined area by an Article 4 direction, which a council uses to require an application where it would not normally be needed, often in conservation areas or for changes to shopfronts and frontages. Whether an Article 4 direction applies to a particular street is a local matter, and the absence of one online does not always mean none exists, so I confirm the position with the council.
Some areas charge a levy on new floorspace
The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge some councils place on new development to help fund local infrastructure. Whether it applies, and at what rate, is set by each charging authority in its own schedule, and some authorities do not charge it at all. There are reliefs and exemptions, including for some householder extensions and self-build homes. Because the levy can add a real cost to a scheme, it is worth establishing the local position early.
Conservation areas and local designations add another layer
Many areas carry local designations that change what is acceptable and what consents are needed. In a conservation area, or where a building is listed or a tree is protected, the council looks closely at the effect of a proposal on the character of the area, and some permitted development rights are restricted. Councils also publish supplementary planning documents and design guides that set out local expectations on matters like materials, extensions and shopfronts. These local documents are often where a proposal is won or lost, and they vary widely.
England, Wales and Scotland are different systems
The three nations share some ideas but run separate planning systems with their own national policy.
- In England, decisions follow the National Planning Policy Framework alongside the local plan.
- In Wales, national policy is set out in Planning Policy Wales and the national development framework, Future Wales, with local development plans beneath them.
- In Scotland, the system works to National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and local development plans, and the permitted development and levy rules are not the same as England’s.
The terms, the documents and even the names of the consents differ between the nations, so advice that is right for a project in London is not automatically right for one in Edinburgh or Cardiff.
What this means if you are planning a project
The practical point is simple: the local position shapes the route, the cost and the documents long before design choices are made. I start every project by establishing where it sits, which plan and policies apply, whether permitted development is available or has been removed, whether a levy is charged, and whether any heritage or local designation is in play. That groundwork is how I give realistic advice on the route to take. It does not change the fact that the decision rests with the planning authority, but it does mean a proposal is prepared on the right footing for its area.