If you've ever stared at a planning application form and felt your eyes glaze over, you're not alone. The process involves multiple documents, local policies, and a cast of decision-makers. But it's manageable — especially if you understand how each stage works before you begin. This guide takes you from the first conversation with a planner to the moment you receive a decision, and beyond.
Step 1: Consider Pre-Application Advice
Before spending money on architectural drawings, pay for pre-application advice from your local planning authority (LPA). This is a paid consultation — typically £100–£300 for a householder application — where a planning officer reviews your proposal informally and indicates whether it is likely to be supported.
It's worth the cost because:
- It identifies deal-breakers before you've committed to full architectural drawings.
- Officers can suggest design changes that align with local policy.
- It creates a paper trail demonstrating that you engaged with the LPA in good faith, which can help if an appeal is ever necessary.
Not every LPA offers the same quality of pre-application advice, but most will confirm whether your site falls within the Green Belt, a conservation area, or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) — all of which restrict permitted development and tighten design requirements significantly. Before deciding whether to apply for planning permission or rely on permitted development, see our building regulations vs planning permission guide.
Step 2: Check Your Local Plan
Every LPA publishes a Local Plan — a document that sets out planning policies for housing, design, conservation, employment land, and more. If your proposal conflicts with the Local Plan, it is unlikely to be approved.
Key things to look for:
- Is the site allocated for any specific use?
- Are there design guides for extensions and alterations in your area?
- Does the area fall within a character area with specific materials requirements?
- Are there policies on garden sizes, overlooking, or loss of amenity that your proposal might breach?
Most Local Plans are searchable online via the LPA's website or the national Planning Portal (planningportal.co.uk).
Step 3: Prepare Your Drawings
For a householder application, you will typically need the following documents:
| Drawing Type | Description | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Location plan | Shows the site in its wider context | 1:1250 or 1:2500 |
| Block plan | Shows site boundaries and proposed footprint | 1:500 |
| Existing floor plans | Current layout of the property | 1:50 or 1:100 |
| Proposed floor plans | New layout showing the addition | 1:50 or 1:100 |
| Existing elevations | Current external appearance | 1:50 or 1:100 |
| Proposed elevations | New external appearance, including materials | 1:50 or 1:100 |
For a major application (over 10 dwellings or over 1,000m² of commercial floorspace), additional documents are required — including a Design and Access Statement, Transport Assessment, Flood Risk Assessment, and potentially ecological surveys. These take additional time and can add several months to the pre-application process.
Hiring an architect vs using a planning drawing service. For simple householder applications, many homeowners use specialist planning drawing services (approximately £500–£1,500) rather than engaging a full RIBA Chartered Architect. This is reasonable for a straightforward extension. For larger or more sensitive projects — particularly those involving conservation areas, listed building consent, or complex neighbour objections — a RIBA architect (£2,000–£8,000+) will add genuine strategic value. For guidance on engaging the right professional, see our how to hire an architect guide.
Step 4: Complete the Application Form
In England, all planning applications are submitted via the Planning Portal (planningportal.co.uk). The application form requires:
- A description of the proposed development
- Site ownership details (Certificate A if you own the whole site; Certificate B if you need to notify other owners)
- A Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) form — mandatory even where CIL is not payable
- Confirmation of whether the site is in a flood risk zone, contaminated land zone, or area subject to an Article 4 Direction
If your property is listed or in a conservation area, you may also need a Heritage Statement or Design and Access Statement. Check your LPA's local validation checklist — these vary between authorities and a missing document will delay your application.
Step 5: Submit and Pay the Planning Fee
Planning application fees in England (current rates as of December 2023):
| Application Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Householder application (extensions, alterations) | £258 |
| Full application — new dwellings (first 50 units) | £578 per dwelling |
| Outline application | £520 per 0.1 hectare |
| Prior Approval (householder) | £120 |
| Lawful Development Certificate (proposed use) | £258 |
Submit online via the Planning Portal. You'll receive an automated acknowledgement and a validation check from the LPA within a few working days.
Step 6: Validation
The LPA checks whether your application is valid — that is, whether all required documents have been submitted at the correct scale, fees paid, and forms completed. The 8-week determination clock does not start until the application passes validation.
Common validation failures:
- Missing or incorrect scale bar on drawings
- CIL form not submitted
- Incorrect fee amount
- Missing existing elevations
- Heritage Statement absent for a listed building application
If the application is invalidated, the LPA will issue a list of requirements. Address all points before resubmitting — partial responses cause further delays.
Step 7: Consultation, Assessment, and Decision
Once validated, the LPA will:
- Notify neighbours by posting a site notice and sending letters to adjoining properties
- Consult statutory consultees (Highways, the Environment Agency, Historic England for listed buildings, and others as relevant)
- Accept public representations for a minimum of 21 days
Standard determination periods:
- Householder and minor applications: 8 weeks
- Major applications (10 or more dwellings, or 1,000m²+ commercial): 13 weeks
- Applications affecting listed buildings or in conservation areas: 8 weeks (same target, though often longer in practice)
Delegated officer vs planning committee. Around 90% of applications are determined under delegated powers by a planning officer. Applications go to committee when they are called in by a councillor, when a significant number of objections have been received, or when the case is of wider public interest.
Planners assess applications against the Local Plan, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), and material planning considerations. Non-material considerations — such as private boundary disputes, property values, or a neighbour's personal circumstances — cannot lawfully influence the decision.
Step 8: Conditions, Refusal, and Appeals
If your application is approved, the consent will almost always include planning conditions. Common examples include:
- Materials to match the original building
- Obscure glazing in side windows to protect neighbour privacy
- Landscaping to be agreed and implemented before occupation
- Hours of construction activity restricted
Discharge of conditions requires a separate application to the LPA (fee: £43 per householder request). Conditions that must be satisfied before works begin ('pre-commencement conditions') need to be discharged before you start on site — starting without doing so is a breach of planning permission. For detail on the discharge process, see our planning conditions discharge guide.
Common reasons for refusal:
- Harm to the character or appearance of the area or streetscape
- Unacceptable impact on neighbouring amenity (overlooking, loss of light, overbearing mass)
- Contrary to Local Plan design policies or character area guidance
- Inadequate parking or highway access
If refused, you have the right to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate within 12 weeks of the decision date for householder applications. The Written Representations procedure is used for most householder appeals — it takes approximately 20–26 weeks and involves no hearing. Success rates for householder appeals run at around 35–40%. For a full walkthrough of the appeals process, see our planning appeal step-by-step guide.
Before appealing, consider whether a revised application addressing the reasons for refusal would be more cost-effective. In England, you are entitled to one free resubmission within 12 months of a refusal without paying a new planning fee.
Alternative: Permitted Development and Lawful Development Certificates
If your project falls within permitted development rights, no planning application is needed. However, if there is any doubt — especially in conservation areas, for listed buildings, or where previous alterations may have used up your permitted development allowance — apply for a Lawful Development Certificate (LDC) as formal confirmation. An LDC costs £258 in England and takes around 8 weeks. For a complete breakdown of what falls within permitted development rights, see our permitted development rights complete guide.
Understanding how the planning system works before you submit will save time, money, and frustration — preparation is everything, from checking the Local Plan to getting your drawings to the correct scale. A single pre-application meeting can be worth weeks of drawn-out correspondence once an application is lodged.