Planning is the process of managing the development of land and buildings. The purposes of this process are to save what is best of our heritage and improve the infrastructure upon which we depend for a civilised existence.

Your local planning authority is responsible for deciding whether a development – anything from an extension on a house to a new shopping centre – should go ahead.

The general system for residential Planning is 3 fold. PD or Planning Development, Planning Permission & Listed Buildings. PD means you can carry-out certain works without Planning Permission, Planning Permission is where you apply to your local authority for consent, and thirdly if your building is Listed then you will require Listed Building Consent. In most cases PD is not applicable to Listed Buildings. Contact your local authority and National Heritage for more details.

Do you need permission?

In this section you will find planning and building regulations guidance for many common building work projects. You can:

• Use our guides or the Common Projects links to find guidance on the building work you have in mind.
• Check other important matters you should think about before starting work in the ‘Your responsibilities’ section.
• When you have read and considered the guidance around whether or not you need planning permission or building control approval you can find out ‘What to do next’.