For owners and developers in England
What Is a Planning Application in England?
Sviatoslav JerdetchiiCEO & Founder of Craftex. Updated , 9 min read
The short answer
A planning application is a formal request to the local council for permission to build, alter or change the use of land or buildings. The council validates it, consults on it, and then grants it, grants it with conditions, or refuses it.
- The main types are full, outline and householder applications, plus a section 73 application to vary conditions on a permission you already hold.
- A lawful development certificate is a separate route: it confirms something is lawful, and it is not planning permission.
- The legal decision period is 8 weeks, or 13 weeks for major development, and 16 weeks where an environmental impact assessment is needed.
- Officers decide most cases under delegated powers; councillors on a planning committee decide the cases the council reserves for them.
A planning application is a formal request to your local council for permission to develop land. Building, extending, demolishing or changing the use of a building usually needs one.
The council checks the application is complete, asks neighbours and experts for views, and then decides. That decision is made in line with the local plan unless other planning reasons point the other way. This guide covers England. Wales shares the 1990 Act with different rules, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own laws.
Picking the wrong type of application costs time and money. An incomplete application is not assessed until it is valid, and getting it valid costs time. The wrong type means starting again, and a fresh application pays the full fee.
Our planning application consultants choose the route, prepare the evidence and steer it through the council. Our Development Director, Rob Barton, took 10,000+ homes through planning in his previous roles. Start with a free site appraisal. We test the site, pick the application type and price the build with our in-house construction team.
Types of planning application: full, outline, householder, s73 and LDC
Section 57 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 sets the rule. "Planning permission is required for the carrying out of any development of land". Government guidance names "2 main types of application": full and outline. Around them sit householder applications, section 73 applications and lawful development certificates.
| Application | What it is for | Council fee from 1 April 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Full | The whole scheme, in detail, at once | £610 per home, fewer than 10 homes |
| Outline | The principle, with reserved matters approved later | £610 for each 0.1 hectare (or part thereof), site under 0.5 hectares |
| Householder | Works to an existing house or within its curtilage | £548 |
| Section 73 | Varying or removing conditions on a permission | £608 non-major, £2,076 major |
| Lawful development certificate | Confirming that a use or works are lawful | Full fee for an existing use, half for a proposed use |
Full planning application
A full application asks for permission for the whole scheme, with every detail fixed. You submit the drawings, the design and the reports the council asks for.
New homes, commercial buildings and changes of use can all go this way. The fee is £610 for each new home in a scheme of fewer than 10, and £659 each between 10 and 50.
Outline planning application
Outline permission settles the principle first. The procedure order defines it as permission "for the erection of a building", subject to later approval of reserved matters. Those matters are access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale. You apply for them within three years of the outline grant.
Outline is for new buildings, not for a change of use. The council can also ask for more detail within one month if it decides the principle cannot be judged without it.
Householder application
A householder application covers works to an existing house, or within its curtilage, for a purpose incidental to living there. Think of an extension, a loft conversion with a dormer, or a garden outbuilding beyond permitted development.
It does not cover a change of use, or a change to the number of homes in a building. Splitting a house into flats needs a full application instead.
Section 73 application
A section 73 application varies or removes conditions on a permission you already hold. Guidance says it "takes effect as a new, independent permission". The original permission stays intact beside it.
It "cannot be used to change the description of the development", and in England it cannot extend the time to start. Our guide to section 73 and non-material amendments covers the choice between the two.
Lawful development certificate
A lawful development certificate (LDC) is a separate route, not planning permission. The council tests the facts and the law, not the merits. There are two kinds:
- Existing use or works. Under section 191, it confirms that something already there is lawful.
- Proposed use or works. Under section 192, it confirms a proposal "would be lawful if instituted or begun at the time of the application". Our guide on whether you need planning permission explains when an LDC is the right first step.
Not sure which of these routes fits your site? Ask us for a free site appraisal and we will name the right one before any drawings are paid for.
Validation: when a planning application is accepted
Before anything is assessed, the council checks the application is valid. Guidance lists four things: "a completed application form", the national information requirements, "the correct application fee" and the council's local information requirements. Nothing is assessed until the application is valid.
The local list is where most delays start. Each council adopts its own list and publishes it on its website. Guidance says it "should be reviewed at least every 2 years". It names the reports the council expects, such as a heritage statement, a flood risk assessment or a daylight study.
You must also serve notice on every owner of the land other than yourself, and on any agricultural tenant. Owners are counted on the day 21 days before the application. The order expects that the applicant may not own the land. So the applicant does not have to be the owner, as long as the owners are told.
If the council asks for information you think it cannot justify, there is a formal route. You send an article 12 notice. The council then validates the application or issues a non-validation notice. After a non-validation notice, you can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against non-determination.
Not sure what the council will ask for? A pre-application enquiry gets the officer's view before you pay the fee. Or send us the address for a free site appraisal, and we will check the local list against your scheme.
Consultation: who has a say on the application
Once the application is valid, the council publicises it. The rules are in article 15 of the procedure order:
- Site notice or letters. A notice on or near the site for not less than 21 days, or notice served on adjoining owners or occupiers.
- Newspaper. A notice in a local newspaper as well, for major development.
- Website. The details are published on the council's website, so anyone can read the plans.
The council also consults statutory consultees, such as the highway authority or the Environment Agency where relevant. They have 21 days to respond, unless a different period is agreed in writing.
Anyone can comment, but not every comment carries weight. Guidance says a material planning consideration "is one which is relevant to making the planning decision in question". Private interests, such as the effect on a neighbour's property value, are generally not material. Local opposition counts where it raises planning matters.
Consultation is also when the case officer raises concerns. A good application answers likely objections before they are made. If a consultee asks for more evidence, provide it quickly, so the case is not decided without it.
Committee or delegated decision: who decides
The case officer weighs the scheme against the development plan and the material considerations. The law says the decision "must be made in accordance with the plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise". Councils can hand decisions to "a committee, sub-committee, or an officer". There are two ways the decision gets made:
- Delegated decision. A planning officer decides under powers handed down by the council. Each council sets its own scheme of delegation.
- Planning committee. Councillors decide the cases the council reserves for them. The officer writes a report and recommends a decision.
Councillors on a committee "must do so in accordance with the development plan". They may follow the officer's recommendation or reach a different view, but they still need planning reasons.
Two more bodies can step in. In London, a scheme of more than 150 homes is referred to the Mayor. The borough cannot decide until 14 days after the Mayor confirms receipt of its proposed decision. Anywhere in England, the Secretary of State can call in an application and decide it instead.
Check your council's scheme of delegation early, so you know who will decide your case. The officer's report matters either way. It is the document every decision-maker reads.
Fuse Energy hired Craftex on the fit-out and installation of our engineering and research centre, which included electrical, heating, lighting, plumbing, and ventilation upgrades. They delivered everything to a high standard and were proactive throughout — even working weekends to help speed up the programme, despite not being contracted to. They managed last-minute changes very well, communication was clear and consistent, and the team was professional from start to finish. We’d happily recommend Craftex to anyone needing a reliable construction partner.
The planning decision, timescales and what comes next
The council can grant permission, grant it with conditions, or refuse it. Every decision notice gives reasons. A refusal must "state clearly and precisely" the full reasons and list the relevant development plan policies. Each condition needs a reason too, including why a pre-commencement condition must be met before work starts.
| Step | Time limit |
|---|---|
| Decision, most applications | 8 weeks from a valid application |
| Decision, major development | 13 weeks |
| Decision with environmental impact assessment | 16 weeks |
| Lawful development certificate decision | 8 weeks |
| Fee refund if no decision | 26 weeks major, 16 weeks other |
| Appeal, householder and minor commercial refusals | 12 weeks from the decision |
| Appeal, most other applications | 6 months from the decision |
| Start work on a full permission | 3 years by default |
The appeal periods apply to applications submitted on or after 1 April 2026. The council and the applicant can agree a longer decision period in writing. Agreeing one gives up the fee refund.
Major development includes 10 or more houses, or 1,000 m² or more of new floor space. A site of 0.5 hectares or more also counts when the number of houses is not yet known.
After the decision
If permission is refused, you can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, or change the scheme and apply again. A new application pays the full fee, because the free resubmission ended on 6 December 2023. Our planning appeal guide sets out the routes and costs.
If permission is granted, the conditions decide what happens next. Discharge any pre-commencement conditions before you start. Then start within the time limit, explained in our guide on how long planning permission lasts. Building regulations approval is a separate application on top.
The fees here move often. A rise is proposed for 8 December 2026 if Parliament approves it. Our guide to planning application fees in 2026 tracks the current figures. For the wider system behind each decision, read what town planning is. For the full route from site to consent, see how to get planning permission.
At Allitsen Road in St John's Wood, a vacant corner building in a conservation area became four costed options in four weeks. Each one came with a policy review and a cost plan, before any application was made.
Your site gets the same treatment. Share the site address and ask for a free site appraisal. You learn which application to submit, which reports the council will want, and what our own construction team would charge to build it.
