Project Type Guides – Page 10
How to get planning permission for extensions, conversions, new builds and commercial uses.
Project Type Guides articles – page 10
268 articlesSmall block of flats on a corner plot: permission route
Corner plots attract developers and objectors in equal measure. A five to nine unit scheme sits below the major threshold, which changes what the council can ask for.
Adding a second dwelling by subdividing a large house
Section 55(3) makes subdivision a material change of use even where nothing changes outside. The application stands or falls on layout, amenity space and parking.
Data centre planning permission: site, power and cooling
A data centre application is decided on power, noise and water long before it is decided on architecture. Here is how each of those arguments is evidenced.
Telecoms mast or rooftop antenna: the Part 16 route
Most mobile network development in England is permitted by Part 16 of the GPDO, subject to a 56 day prior approval on siting and appearance. Health objections carry no weight once an ICNIRP declaration is supplied.
Shopfront alterations and signage: the consents you need
Three regimes meet at a shopfront. Advertisement control considers only amenity and public safety, planning covers the physical alterations, and listed building consent is never deemed.
Mezzanine floors: when installation needs permission
Section 55(2A) makes a retail mezzanine over 200 square metres development in its own right. Any mezzanine needs permission where it amounts to a material change of use.
Waste transfer station and scrapyard planning permission
Waste and metal recycling sites need permission from the waste planning authority and a permit from the Environment Agency. The permit does not answer the planning objections on dust, noise and amenity.
Self-storage and trade counter units: planning permission
Self-storage is normally Class B8, so the question is employment land policy and access. A trade counter is harder, because public sales can tip the use into retail.
Outdoor seating for a restaurant: permission and licences
Outdoor seating splits at the highway boundary: a pavement licence for the footway, planning permission for your own land. Noise, hours, canopies and lighting decide the rest.
Converting or demolishing a pub: what planning requires
Every change of use or demolition of a pub needs full planning permission. The application turns on marketing evidence, trading accounts and whether the building is a listed asset of community value.
Retail unit to flats above the shop: permission route
Class MA covers the change of use but not the building works. Here is which route fits, and how access, light and noise from the shop below decide the case.
Agricultural building prior notification under Part 6
Part 6 lets you build a farm building without full permission, within hard limits. Here is the prior notification procedure and the thresholds that break the class.
Shepherd's hut or lodge as a permanent holiday unit
Whether your hut is a caravan or a building changes the application and the licensing. Here is how councils assess siting, drainage and occupancy conditions.
Roadside farm caravan and campsite: the 28 day rules
The 28 day allowance counts days across the whole planning unit and covers only moveable structures. Here is where the line falls and what a permanent site needs.
Change of use to a veterinary practice or dog day care
Barking noise and the drop-off peak decide most dog day care and veterinary applications. Here is the evidence councils expect and the conditions to negotiate.
Anaerobic digestion or biomass plant on a farm: permission
Farm digestion schemes are refused on lorry movements and odour far more often than on principle. Here is the evidence that answers both before the layout is fixed.
Wind turbine planning permission for a farm or small site
A single farm turbine is decided on landscape impact more often than anything else. Here is the assessment order that saves money and the consultees to approach first.
EV charging points: planning rules for homes and car parks
One charger is rarely a planning issue. A charging hub with canopies, cabinets and a substation is a different proposition entirely.
Air source heat pump planning permission for a house
Class G permits most domestic heat pumps, and noise is the condition that decides it. Here is how the calculation works and when you have to apply.
Rooftop solar panels: when a house needs permission
Solar on an ordinary house rarely needs an application. The exceptions are listed buildings, Article 4 areas, front elevations and anything on a flat.
Battery storage planning permission on a field site
Electricity storage sits outside the nationally significant infrastructure regime, so a field-scale battery scheme goes to the local planning authority. Here is what to evidence.
Hand car wash planning permission and the retrospective trap
Most hand car washes open without permission and end up applying retrospectively after a complaint. Here is what the council will ask for either way.
Drive-through planning permission: what councils assess
A drive-through restaurant or coffee unit rarely sits inside Class E, so it needs a full application. Here is the evidence councils and highway authorities expect.
Barn conversion to a house under Class Q prior approval
Class Q converts agricultural buildings to houses without planning permission, but the structural capability test decides most applications. Here is what the council can and cannot consider.
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