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Applying for planning permission
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Apply for planning permission
There are three common types of planning consent:
- householder
- full
- outline
Under certain circumstances, you may be able to:
- carry out certain types work without planning consent but there may be certain conditions
- apply for a Lawful Development Certificate instead
When you make an application for planning consent, you'll need to make sure you include certain information, including a scale bar on any plans you submit. For more information, you can download our validation checklist (PDF 608KB) or visit the Planning Portal for specific advice about submitting maps and plans.
If you do work without getting permission, you could be forced to take it down again.
Householder planning consent
You should apply for householder planning consent if you’re going to make changes to an single house, including:
- building an extension or a conservatory
- converting a loft
- fitting dormer windows
You can:
- visit the Planning Portal for more information about householder planning consent
- apply for householder planning consent online, using the Planning Portal
Full planning consent
You should apply for full planning consent if you’re going to build or perform engineering works to a building or land, including:
- building a separate house in your garden
- converting a building into flats or any works on a flat
- works carried out outside the boundary of the property
- changing the use of a building or land
You can:
- visit the Planning Portal for more information about full planning consent
- apply for full planning consent online, using the Planning Portal
Outline planning consent
You can apply for outline planning consent to establish whether we’re likely to accept your proposal.
An application for outline planning consent includes less detail than other types of consent.
If we grant outline planning consent to you, you’ll need to provide more detail about your proposal and ask us to approve it before you start any work.
You can:
- visit the Planning Portal for more information about outline planning consent
- make an application for outline planning consent online, using the Planning Portal
Elsewhere on the web
Submitting an application
When you submit an application, you may need to include certain documents. You can download our guide to read more (PDF 528kb).
If we grant planning consent, we may attach certain conditions to your application.
Development has been found to disturb the birdlife of the North Kent Marshes Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar sites (areas of conserved wetland). It's important to read our information about the Strategic Access Management and Monitoring Strategy (SAMMS) when considering building new dwellings, HMO's, student accommodation, guest houses, hotels, care homes and camping/caravan sites.
How we make a decision
To reach a decision on an application for planning consent, we may take into account evidence, guidance and policies from several sources, including information that determines whether the site is in a conservation area or the work concerns a listed building.
We aim to reach a decision within eight weeks, or up to 13 weeks for large developments.
You can visit the Planning Portal for more information on the decision process.
You can visit our publications section for a list of the documents we may refer to.