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This depends 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. You can find out more information on permitted development through the national Planning Portal.
You usually need planning permission if you are proposing to undertake building or engineering works or changing the use of buildings or land. You may also need consent if you want to display advertisements or signs, alter listed buildings or demolish buildings.
In respect to dropped kerbs and crossovers, you need planning permission if you live on a classified road (A, B or C road). You do not need planning permission if you live on an unclassified road. Pedestrian crossings e.g. to get wheelchairs on and off the footway do not require planning permission. You can find
If you have a general question about the planning application process, you can book an appointment by contacting our Customer Services Centre on 0208 207 2277. The Duty Planning Officer is available for pre-booked 15-minute appointments on Mondays and Fridays between 9am and 1pm. Appointments will be available over a rolling 2-week period. Please note that the duty planner will not be able to advise about specific proposals as these should be discussed as part of the pre-application process. The duty planner will however be able to assist with general planning issues and offer informal guidance.
Our formal Pre-Application Service involves a Planning Officer reviewing your plans and providing either written or verbal advice, subject to your preference, on the acceptability of your development proposal. Such early engagement enables key issues to be identified up front, avoids abortive planning applications and assists in speeding up the statutory process. This service is applicable to the full range of development types and is priced according to the size or type of the development.
For more complex and/or major development proposals we encourage the use of a
. This service is a project management tool adopting a framework approach, which involves one of our experienced Planning Officers working proactively and collaboratively with you to help shape and hopefully deliver good quality outcomes that can benefit an area or community. This process can give greater certainty and confidence in the planning process and can be adopted at any time however it is strongly recommended that such engagement is made at an early stage in the planning process such as at the pre-application stage.
Our Planning Guide provides an introduction to the planning (development management) process and our commitment to you when dealing with planning issues. The guide also gives useful information on trees and hedges, planning policy, planning enforcement, planning appeals and the Hertfordshire wide building control service.
This document is an interim position statement, providing clarifications to certain planning policies in light of material considerations which have arisen since the current Local Plan was adopted. These policy clarifications should be taken into account by developers when preparing planning applications and by those determining planning applications (and appeals) in relation to climate change and sustainability issues until the new Local Plan is adopted.
