Confused about prior approval? Then read our guide!

Plainview Planning has launched priorapproval.co.uk, a mini-site focused on helping homeowners and business owners take advantage of the complex world of prior approval.

The site seeks to demystify permitted development and the prior approval process and an overview is outlined below.

Don’t let permitted development restrict your goals

Before we get into the detail, there is one important point we want to make. Whilst prior approval and permitted development rights can provide freedom and fast planning decisions, they are also very restrictive and complicated. Often you will be able to secure exactly what you want via a conventional planning application, without having to shoehorn in your aspirations to fit into the inflexible General Permitted Development Order regulations.

Don’t let these “rights” distract you from your goal. Securing a conventional planning permission is not as difficult as it may first appear and gives you far greater flexibility. If you want to discuss then contact our planning team via enquiries@plainview.co.uk.

What does “permitted development” mean?

In its most basic terms, permitted development is a type of small scale development that should not require any formal planning permission.  

However, permitted development rights can be subject to a myriad of conditions. There are several types of permitted development available, and some of these will require you to ask your Council for prior approval before you can build your proposed development.

What does “prior approval” mean?

Prior approval is a formal submission to your local planning authority and the purpose of it is to seek confirmation that specified parts of a development are acceptable, before work can commence.

There are different types of prior approval which require various levels of detail before a Council will assess a proposal.  Depending on what you are seeking prior approval for, you could be required to submit information on a wide variety of aspects of the proposal, including:

• Design and external appearance;
• The transport impacts of the development;
• Flooding information.

There are several types of permitted development which require prior approval. Examples include:

• A change of use from various shop types to a restaurant or cafe;

• A change of use from various shop types to a leisure use;

• A change of use from a light industrial use to a house;

• A change of use from an agricultural building to a house;

• A change of use from an agricultural building to a “flexible commercial use.”

Clear as mud:

The prior approval process is supposed to be quite straightforward with decisions made by the Council swiftly, as long as you have provided all the necessary information.

However, using a planning consultant can prove to be invaluable on more complex jobs, appeals, or if you are simply keen for a robust approach.

For more information follow the link to our brief guide here.  It includes more detail on the prior approval process and links to the relevant forms.  We look forward to helping you.