What’s Included in a Planning Application?

What’s Included in a Planning Application?

Submitting a planning application can feel a little like sitting a particularly difficult examination. There are questions to answer, details to add, and all the time you are aware that if you make a mistake with the planning application your future plans may alter.

This is one of the reasons why people often seek the support of a Planning Consultant in completing and submitting the planning application. The information requested is often detailed, technical and complicated. Worst of all, you might not even be sure what the ‘right answer’ looks like from the planning authority’s point of view. Getting the help of someone who has submitted planning applications many times before, such as a planning consultant often makes sense.

What information do I need to include in a planning application?

For any planning application there are some things that you absolutely will need to include. Your planning application must contain five copies of the planning application form, a signed ownership certificate, a series of plans (more about those later), and the correct fee.

There is a checklist that the person receiving your planning application will go through. If there are any elements missing then your planning application will be classed as invalid and returned to you, and you will have to start the process again. 

The Planning Application Form

The planning application form is at the heart of your submission. Planning application forms may differ across local authority areas, but generally they will all cover the same sort of ground. Usually, it will begin by asking you for a description of your planned development. 

This is one of the areas where less is more. Stick to a very short, very simple, factual description – for instance “single storey extension to side”. 

There may then be questions about things such as waste collection (is there room for bin storage?) and access – for instance if you are building a new property, will there be a driveway? 

Your planning application will also ask you for details about materials. This is an area where it is useful to go into more detail as part of the planning application – as it can save you delays and complexity further down the line. The council will want to know what products you will be using for walls, roofing, windows and doors etc. If all other houses on the street are constructed of red brick then suggesting you will use pink painted concrete may ring alarm bells! Remember, one of the key things they are considering as part of the planning application is what will the new building or addition look like? Will it fit in with what is already there?

If you do not provide details at this stage of the planning application, you may well end up with Planning Conditions which require products and materials to be individually approved after permission is granted. It is much easier from your point of view to set out what you want to use from the start.

Plans and Drawings included in a Planning Application

One of the most important things that must be included in your planning application are accurate plans and drawings showing what you want to build. These must be drawn to scale and have the scale indicated on them. The drawings also have to indicate north. The site location plan needs to indicate the planning application site by edging it in red. Surrounding buildings need to be numbered and at least two named roads must be shown.

The people reviewing your planning application will reject your drawings, and your planning application, if they do not consider the drawings to be adequate. Again, this is an area where many people will call on professional expertise to make sure that the drawings and plans will fulfil the requirements of the planning authority. Plans can be produced by building surveyors or architects, and it may be necessary for other consultants to input into the planning application, including environmental consultants, valuation surveyors and structural engineers. 

There is a range of other reports or documents that you will potentially have to submit, but often that will depend on the size, scale, complexity and location of what you are proposing. For instance, if you know in advance that your proposal could be contentious, then it may be useful to submit a planning statement that sets out your views on how the scheme complies with national and local planning policy. Again, this is something that a Planning Consultant would be able to assist you with. 

Finally, it is important that you enclose the correct fee. A surprising number of planning applications are returned as invalid because the fee is incorrect. Double check the fee structure that your council uses and make sure that you are applying in the correct category.

At UK Planning Consultants, we offer Planning Application Consultancy in the following locations: Planning Application Bristol, Planning Application London, Planning Application Manchester.