After you have achieved planning consent, what steps should you take? We look at the necessities and the advisable steps to take after you've already achieved planning consent for your project.
I've Obtained Planning Consent – What Next?
You'll know if you've obtained planning permission for your development, because the relevant planning authority will send you a letter notifying you of its decision.
Once this has occurred, the planning permission applies to the land, not the owner. That means that in most situations, you'll be able to sell the land and the planning permission will transfer along with it to the new owner. However, in some uncommon situations there will be planning conditions that limit the use and occupation of the land to a particular named person or particular named company.
All planning permission must expire by a specified date. Unless your planning permission specifies a different time period, you will probably have three years from the date when the planning permission was granted to begin your development work. If you haven't started work on a development, and your planning permission is over three years old, you probably need to re-apply for planning permission.
Planning Permission About To Expire
If your planning permission was granted it has not yet expired but is soon to do so, contact us and we'll help you. There may be a way of implementing the permission by commencing some initial works, without requiring the whole development to be completed.
Outline Planning Permissions
When outline planning permission has been granted, you will need to submit some kinds of specific details for approval as well. Any specific details of the planned build that are not covered by the granted outline planning permission will be considered to be "reserved matters". Any "reserved matter" needs a further planning application submission in order to be approved, and you must apply for approval of reserved matters within three years of the outline planning permission being granted (unless the outline permission requires otherwise).
Other Additional Planning Consents
Planning permission conditions and obligations might mean that you need to specify extra details about your development plan or otherwise comply with your conditions and obligations before work can begin. Most planning permissions come with some kind of condition or obligation, and it is very important to read and understand these conditions before beginning work. It is essential to discharge all your conditions when beginning any kind of development work.
You will also need to get other approvals before work can begin in some common situations. For example, if your building is a listed building, you will need to request listed building approval, while if you are applying to demolish a building in a conservation area you will need to apply for approval to carry out the demolition. These extra approvals will often be brought to your attention in 'informatives' once you have obtained planning permission, but might not be highlighted in all cases.
Making Changes
You can make minor or non-material amendments to a planning permission application after consent has been granted. These are applied for using a different form (under section 96A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990), while significant major amendments will need a different application under section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act.
A minor amendment will usually be something like a reduction in the scale and ambition of the proposed development, or an adjustment to the size of windows and doors – things which are unobtrusive and won't have an impact on your neighbours or on the nature of the build. Usually, if you want to significantly increase the size of your proposed development, or you want to make a change that will impact on your neighbours in some way, you will need to submit a completely new application.
Still Confused?
If you are still confused about what steps you need to take after being granted planning permission, please feel free to get in touch with us. As planning permission experts, we have an immense amount of experience and insight to offer to home-owners and developers, and would be happy to hear from you.
Please call us on 01634 811 118, complete our online enquiry form, or email our planning law UK expert Nicholas Kingsley-Smith.
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