Planning is primarily concerned with the physical environment and should seek to secure the best use and development of land and buildings. The current planning system is founded on the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 which along with other Acts and regulations sets out the powers of local planning authorities.

The basic concept is that each council must prepare a local plan which is made up of individual plans for towns and villages. Believe it or not those plans are intended to stimulate development but in fact they are usually prepared in a negative way, with the result that obtaining planning approval is more difficult than it should be. Before adopting local plans councils are required to make them public in order that views reflecting the interests of everyone in the community can be expressed. Public response and interest is unfortunately limited, with the result that planners usually get away with adpoting their own standards. Only when applying for planning permission do members of the public see what they are up against and by then it's too late.

The regulations state that each individual has permitted development rights but they are so tied up in red tape that quite simply you need planning permission for everything. You can build an extension but it must not increase the volume of your home by more than 15% or 70 cubic metres. Volume is calculated using external measurements. However if the extension is closer to a highway than your home or less than 20 metres from it, then you must apply for permission. In "planning speak", a highway includes everything from motorway to footpath. If you live in a terraced house or conservation area, etc., then you don't have permitted development and must apply for planning permission.

Special rules apply for extending the roof, loft conversions and dormer windows. You need permission to install a storage tank for domestic heating oil with a capacity greater than 3,500 litres or higher than 3 metres. If the tank is smaller then you still need permission if it is located nearer the highway than your house, unless there is at least 20 metres between it and the highway. You need permission to store LPG or any other liquid fuel apart from oil.

You can build a porch without permission, but it must be less than 3 square metres floor area, less than 3 metres high and be more than 2 metres from the boundary with a highway. You can put up fences, walls or gates, except when your property is listed. They must not be higher than 1 metre when next to a highway used for vehicles, but elsewhere they can be up to two metres high. If you live on an estate designated by the planners as 'open plan' however, you must obtain permission.

You may need planning permission to install a satellite dish, but you can cover the land around your house with hard surfaces such as paths, driveways and patios. You can't however use those to park commercial vehicles or store business goods.

When you apply for planning permission the Council will place it on their register and it will be open to public inspection. They must notify your neighbours and/or put up a notice near your site. They may also advertise your application in the press and consult with their highways department and community council. The planning officers usually prepare a report on your application to go before the planning committee. Your are entitled to see it together with certain background papers used which may include comments from those consulted and objectors, at least three days before it goes before committee. It will then decide whether there are good planning reasons for refusing your application.

The best way to apply for planning permission is to do it right first time. Professional advice from Surveyors, Architects or qualified planning consultants is paramount. We can provide such advice.