Following an application through to completion
The decision is not the end. How to follow condition discharge, amendments and construction on the public register, and what each status actually means.
A planning application does not end at the decision. It carries on through condition discharge, amendments, reserved matters and construction, and every one of those stages leaves a record you can read. Councils are required by article 40 of the Development Management Procedure Order 2015 to keep a public register of applications, and the online version of that register is where you track a planning application from validation to the day the building is finished.
The frustration people report is not that the information is hidden. It is that the later stages get separate reference numbers, so the original application page stops updating and the trail appears to go cold.
Registering for updates and where the gaps are
Almost every council's public access system lets you track an application, which sends an email when the record changes. Do that first, on the original reference.
Two limits to know about. Tracking usually notifies you about documents and status changes on that reference only, so a later discharge of conditions application under its own number will not reach you. And email alerts are generated by the case management system rather than by a person, so a delegated decision issued on a Friday afternoon may arrive in your inbox on Monday, by which point the six week window for anything that depends on the decision date has started running.
Set a calendar reminder to search the address rather than the reference, once a month. That is the only reliable way to catch new applications on the same site.
What each status on the register means
The wording varies between systems, and the same phrase does not always mean the same thing.
| Status | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Registered or validated | The application was complete and the statutory clock has started |
| Awaiting decision or pending consideration | Under assessment, consultation may still be open |
| Awaiting committee | Referred for member decision, agenda will be published in advance |
| Decided | Determined, and the decision notice should be on the documents tab |
| Withdrawn | Taken back by the applicant, often before a refusal |
| Invalid or returned | Not registered, the clock has not started |
| Appeal lodged | The file has gone to the Planning Inspectorate and the council is no longer deciding |
The publicity period is normally 21 days from the date of the site notice or neighbour letter, and comments received after it are generally still considered if they arrive before the decision. Do not treat the 21 days as a hard cut-off, and do not treat it as an invitation to send something on the day of determination either.
The documents tab is more useful than the summary. The officer's report, the consultee responses and the conditions all live there, and the report is where the reasoning is set out. Where a scheme has generated a Statement of Community Involvement, that will be filed with the application documents and it records what the applicant told residents before submission.
Following reserved matters and conditions
An outline permission settles the principle and leaves matters such as appearance, landscaping, layout and scale for later approval. Those arrive as reserved matters applications with their own references, their own publicity and their own decisions. On a large site there may be several, phase by phase.
Conditions are discharged separately again, through an application to approve details. These are the ones neighbours most want to see, because construction management plans, landscaping schemes, boundary treatments, external materials and lighting details are all usually reserved by condition.
Discharge applications get a shorter publicity period or none at all, and in many councils they are not advertised to neighbours. Watching the address monthly is the only way to see them coming.
Watching for amendments after permission
Two routes change a permission after it is granted, and both appear as new applications.
A non-material amendment under section 96A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 makes a minor change, and the council decides whether it is non-material. There is no requirement to consult neighbours, and the decision is usually quick.
A section 73 application varies or removes a condition, which in practice creates a new permission sitting alongside the old one. Section 73 applications are publicised like ordinary applications, and they are the route by which schemes sometimes change substantially, one condition at a time. If a development looks different from what you remember being approved, search the address for section 73 and section 96A references before assuming a breach.
Checking what was actually built
Compare the approved drawings with the building. The approved plans are listed by drawing number in a condition on the decision notice, and only those numbers are approved. A later revision uploaded to the website but never formally approved has no status.
Three practical checks. Ridge and eaves heights against the approved elevations, measured from the stated datum. The position of windows on elevations facing neighbours, and whether any obscure glazing condition has been complied with. And the boundary treatment and landscaping, which is the condition most often ignored once the scaffolding comes down.
Where a condition required something to be retained in perpetuity, such as a screen or a planting scheme, that obligation does not lapse when the site is sold.
Reporting a departure from approved plans
Report it to the council's planning enforcement team, in writing, with the application reference, the condition or drawing number you say has not been complied with, and dated photographs. Specific reports get acted on and general complaints do not.
Enforcement is discretionary, and councils take a proportionate approach, so expect a judgement about whether the breach causes real harm. Where it does, the powers include a breach of condition notice, an enforcement notice and, on serious cases, a stop notice.
Time limits matter. The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 extended the enforcement time limit in England to ten years for breaches, replacing the previous four year period for operational development and for change of use to a single dwelling. That change took effect in April 2024 and applies to breaches occurring on or after that date, so older breaches may still be governed by the earlier limits. Check the current position before assuming anything is immune. Where the issue is neglect rather than non-compliance, a different power applies, described in asking the council to serve a section 215 notice.
Trees have their own regime and their own short deadlines, set out in objecting to tree works in a conservation area.
When the file finally closes
There is no formal closure. A permission is implemented when a material operation is carried out, and after that the permission does not expire. Conditions remain enforceable for the life of the development, which is why a landscaping condition from 2009 can still be enforced in 2026.
Two things do produce an ending of sorts. A completion notice under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 can be served where development has been started but not finished within a reasonable period, requiring completion by a date or the permission ceases to have effect for the unbuilt part. And where a development is liable for the community infrastructure levy, the notice of the start of works and the demand notice give a documented start date that is useful evidence of when work actually began.
If you want one habit from this article, make it the monthly address search. Everything else follows from knowing a new reference exists.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Procedures and register systems differ between councils, so check the position with your local planning authority before relying on it.
Browse the PlanScope report types to understand what the documents on a register are for.
Frequently asked questions
Why has the application page stopped updating?
Because the later stages get their own reference numbers. Reserved matters, condition discharge, section 73 variations and section 96A amendments are all separate applications, and tracking alerts on the original reference will not tell you about them. Search the site address monthly rather than relying on the tracked reference.
How long is the consultation period?
Normally 21 days from the date of the site notice or neighbour letter. Comments arriving after that are generally still taken into account if they reach the case officer before the decision is made, but there is no entitlement to have late comments considered, and a comment sent on the day of determination may arrive too late.
What is a section 73 application?
An application to vary or remove a condition on an existing permission, which in practice creates a new permission alongside the original. They are publicised like ordinary applications. Schemes sometimes change substantially through a sequence of them, so search the address for section 73 references before concluding that a development breaches its permission.
How do I check what was approved?
The decision notice lists the approved drawings by number in a condition, and only those numbers have status. Compare ridge and eaves heights against the approved elevations, check window positions on elevations facing neighbours, and check compliance with any obscure glazing or boundary treatment condition.
How long can the council enforce a breach?
The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 extended the enforcement time limit in England to ten years, taking effect in April 2024 for breaches occurring on or after that date. Earlier breaches may still be governed by the previous four year limit for operational development and change of use to a single dwelling.
Sources and further reading
This article is general guidance about the planning system in England and, where stated, the rest of the UK. It is not legal or professional advice. Check your local planning authority’s validation requirements and take professional advice for your specific site.