How to submit a planning application
What information do I need to support my application?
- Your application form needs to be accompanied by scaled drawings or plans showing all relevant aspects of the proposal and giving measurements in metric,
- including measurements showing distances between existing and proposed buildings. The plans need to be clear and accurate and show the layout and appearance of the property as existing and also with the proposed changes. You must also include a site plan that shows your property in relation to its surroundings so that we can identify its exact location. The fee will depend on the type of works you are proposing; without the fee your application is invalid and will not be assessed.
We would encourage applications to be submitted electronically using the Planning Portal website
Read more: Planning permission process explained, step by step
Grant Permission
In most cases this will be subject to conditions that are listed on the decision notice. For example, a condition that you must commence work within 3 years of the date of your grant of planning permission.
Refuse Permission
This means that you have been refused permission. This does not mean that it is the end of the road for your proposals! You have the option to discuss revisions to your proposal with the case officer and submit a new application to hopefully overcome the reasons for refusal, or you may wish to appeal against the council’s refusal of your application to the Planning Inspectorate. A second application with the same character or description may not require a further fee if submitted within 12 months of the date of refusal.
Defer
For some cases at Planning Committee, a decision will be deferred if it is felt that a balanced final decision cannot be made as a result of the absence of important information that needs to be taken into account If this happens your application will be held in abeyance, and the case officer will guide you through what extra information you need to submit before a decision can be made.
Conditions and obligations post-decision
As part of a planning permission the Council will apply conditions that ensure that the development will be in accordance with the legislation and the development plan. The condition that is applied to the majority of permissions imposes a limit on how much time can pass between the date of the decision and the date of the start of work on site. If your application is for retrospective permission then this condition is obviously not applicable. Other regularly used conditions relate to the materials to be used to construct a building and the hours of operation of a newly approved use.
S106
For major applications (such as those which propose to build more than 10 houses) the Council may decide that your application should only be approved if you make an extra contribution, such as providing off-site affordable housing, improving local traffic safety, or nearby public open spaces. In these instances, you will be required to sign a S.106 Agreement.
CIL
There are three basic types of decisions that can be made:
The Mayor of London introduced a levy on development in London Boroughs in April 2012 which boroughs collect on behalf of the Mayor.
See examples of our projects approved with planning permission
Appeals
If you are dissatisfied with a refusal decision or think that any of the conditions are unreasonable you can appeal to the Secretary of State. In either case before doing this, we recommend speaking to the Planning Officer who dealt with the application to see if any alternative proposal might be more acceptable.
If you do decide to appeal, you must do so within six months of the date of the decision for most types of application. However, if it is a house extension you must appeal within 12 weeks from the date of decision, and within two months if it relates to an advertisement application. Use of our pre-application advice service is recommended as this will help identify any issues to address prior to submitting an application” after recommended before you submit your application and thus reduce the chance of refusal and the need to appeal.
How to appeal
There is information on the decision notice and also the government’s Planning Portal on how to appeal.
See www.planningportal.co.uk/planning/
Process Of a Planning Application
When you submit your application, whether it is a ground floor extension or a loft extension, KLC Architects will liaise with the council who will inform us to acknowledge that they have received it. If you have submitted your application with all the appropriate information, it will be assigned to a case officer whose contact details will be set out in the letter If there is important information missing from your application, such as the correct fee or reasonable drawings, your application will be held in abeyance (invalidated). If that is the case, they will write to us explaining clearly what information you will need to submit in order for your application to be registered.
Who else is involved?
The council will write to your immediate neighbours explaining your proposal and asking for their comments. Your neighbours will have 21 days to respond to this consultation letter and submit their comments. This is the statutory minimum timeframe for consultation. Whilst they will accept comments made between the end of the statutory consultation period and the date when they make the decision, officers will have less time to compile any comments made. KLC architects liaise with the planners throughout the process, this way you are assured as we are on standby to make any alterations the planners require in order to achieve a positive outcome decision.
Who decides whether planning permission should be granted or not?
How your application is decided is determined by the complexity and acceptability of the proposals when considered against planning policies. The council has to take into account comments received from neighbouring residents as well as from other organisations such as the London Mayor the Environment Agency or Historic England, depending on the size and type of application. Approximately 95% of all the planning applications submitted to the council are determined by senior officers in accordance with the council’s agreement of delegation. The remaining 5% of planning applications are dealt with by the councilors who make up the council’s Planning Committee. Planning applications dealt with by the Committee will normally be large and complex with legal obligations under section 106, or those which are a departure from the development plan.