Do I need planning permission?

It's important to find out if you need planning permission before you start any building work. If you go ahead without permission, you may have to put things back to how they were.

You are likely to need planning permission if you intend to:

construct a new building
alter the external appearance of an existing building
extend a property
convert a house into flats
change the use of a building or land.

You do not always need planning permission when you are making changes to your home. If your property is a 'single dwelling house' (not a flat or maisonette) you can make some changes without planning permission. We call this permitted development.

You need planning permission in most cases if your property:
- is a flat or maisonette
- is a listed building
- is in a conservation area
- has an Article 4 direction in place.
Guidance for home owners
- Interactive House (Planning Portal website) - you can work out what planning permission you might need and find out the rules on permitted development
- Common projects that may fall under permitted development (Planning Portal website) - you can check the limits and conditions on permitted development for each one.
- Government guidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens (Gov.UK website)
- Find out if a building is listed (Historic England website).
If you want specific guidance for your property, please use our pre-application advice service.
You do not always need permission to make changes to your business premises. The Planning Portal provides useful guidance on common projects:
- Adverts and signs (Planning Portal website)
- Working from home (Planning Portal website).
Tables and chairs on the pavement
You need planning permission to put tables and chairs on the highway outside your premises because it involves a change to the use of that land. The term 'highway' includes the carriageway, footway, alleys and passageways.

If all the land you are using is on a private forecourt, you may not need planning permission if the use of the tables and chairs is an extension of the ground floor use of the premises.

As the highway authority, you'll need to apply for a Highway Amenities Licence (Highways Act 1980).

Changes of use
We put uses of land and buildings into categories known as 'use classes'.

A change of use of a building or land often does not need planning permission.

You do not need planning permission if:
- both the present and proposed uses fall within the same 'class'; or
- the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order says that a change of use class is permitted to another specified class.
For example, you could change without permission:
- a bakery to a shoe shop - these uses fall within the same class
- a restaurant to a shop or an estate agency - the Use Class Order allows this type of change.
Find out more about possible changes of use (Planning Portal website)

If you need confirmation of the lawful use of the land or premises, you can apply for a Lawful Development Certificate (Planning Portal website).

Other types of applications

As well as planning applications, there are many other types of applications you may need. The Planning Portal provides detailed guidance on these and allows you to submit them online. The most common application types are:

Building control

If you are making structural changes to an existing property, or you are building a new property, you may need to apply for building control approval.

Find out more about building control

Wildlife Assesment check

If you are considering a householder or a small development project, find out if you will need expert ecological advice before submitting a planning application.

Find out if you need expert ecogolical advice

Licensing

Depending on the use of your premises, you may need to apply for a licence.

Find out more about licences and permits