Last Modified April 03, 2013
Whether you need planning permission or not will depend on what you want to do. Some minor alterations and extensions, particularly to houses, can often be carried out without planning permission. This is called permitted development.
But, you may need planning permission to change the use of your property, for example a shop to an office or conversion of a house into flats.
General advice on whether or not you need permission is available here.
If you want a formal decision as to whether planning permission is required for your development, you will need to apply for a Lawful Development Certificate. Full details of which can be found on our submitting an application page.
You can also seek advice on your development by submitting a Pre application advice application to us.
Planning handbook
Our handbook provides an introduction to the planning (development management) process and our commitment to you.The handbook also gives you some useful information on how to submit a planning application and our pre-application service, as well as information on trees, high hedges, planning enforcement, our enforcement standards, appeals and building control. A copy of our handbook can be found on our Planning Handbook page.