What is planning permission? Here's your guide...

1. Determine your planning application’s class

Before submitting a planning permission application, you must determine what class of planning application ,will be needed for your new oak frame home. For example, is outline planning consent necessary or is a full planning permission application required?

2. Communicate

Once you’ve finalised your bespoke architectural design, the next step is to consider other people who it may be wise to contact ahead of submitting your application. From neighbours to members of the parish council: in place of individuals discovering your plans first on the council’s website or pinned up on a notice board outside your site, it’s courteous to consult with certain, people about your plans for your home and how it will nestle into the community and local surroundings. What’s more, you may have your sights set on your self-build becoming your forever home, so the most neighbourly thing to do is to introduce yourself to them and have a conversation.

3. Submit your planning permission application

Once you’ve done so and you’ve pulled all your application documents together, you’re to apply for planning! Ensuring these documents are in line with planning validation procedures is imperative. This is an aspect a professional can talk you through and is also a service we regularly manage on behalf of our clients.

4. Get to know your planning officer

Having one point of contact with the case officer that’s been signed to your planning application and making a friendly introductory call to them is a great way of helping to establish rapport from the outset. Equally, it’s nice to then give them time to look into your application, knowing you’ve provided them with all the documentation they need and that they can get in touch with you if required.

5. Wait for a decision

Once your case officer has considered your application and it’s gone through the consultee period, your decision notice will be imminent!

6. Move forward with planning permission approval

Having received your approved decision notice, it’s important to look into any planning conditions which may have been applied.

You must pay close attention to what is written here, as these conditions will determine how you can progress with the construction of your oak framed home. Conditions you may see could include ‘pre-commencement conditions’ and ‘pre-occupation conditions’ (both of which you will find explained in our terms and acronyms guide at the bottom of this blog)

Here at Oakwrights, once we’ve received and delivered planning approval news to our clients, we always guide them as to their next steps and how we can assist them as home building plans can begin to take shape!

• Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

There are 46 AONB across England, Wales and Northern Ireland which are protected by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) due to their significant landscape value.

• Backland Development

A backland plot refers to land that sits behind an existing property. Typically it won’t be visible from the road and is often a large residential garden.

• Brownfield Land

Land which has been previously developed and is occupied by a permanent structure but is no longer in use is known as brownfield land, or a brownfield site.

• Building Regulations

These are a set of statutory standards in England and Wales which ensure new buildings and alterations made to existing buildings (domestic or commercial) will be safe, energy efficient, promote healthy living and will be built for purpose.

Building Control carries out checks to ensure buildings under construction are compliant with these standards and will issue Building Regulations approval.

• Change of Use

If, for example, you’d like to change the use of a former agricultural barn into your future oak framed home, you’d generally need to obtain planning permission approval. We recommend you speak with a professional about your change of use aspirations.

• Conservation Areas

These protect and preserve the special architectural or historic interest and the character and appearance of a place which make the area unique.

Historic England notes there are approximately 10,000 conservation areas in England.

• Curtilage

This term primarily describes the ground and buildings immediately surrounding or next to a house or dwelling.

• Decision Notice

If or when you submit your planning application, your local planning authority will formally notify you with a written decision notice, and this will clearly state whether your planning application has been approved.

• Design and Access Statement

This is a short report that accompanies a planning application, and its purpose is to support and justify your proposal to your planning officer.

• Environmental Statements and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)

An environmental statement is prepared by you, the planning applicant, or the planning professional you’ve employed on your behalf, and is the assessment of the environmental impact of your build. What’s more, it’s part of an EIA, which is a process that’s carried out when it’s thought that construction may impact the environment.

• Full Planning Permission

This is the most common type of planning application, and within a full planning application you submit all the details associated with your proposed new oak framed home.

• Green Belt

Areas of countryside which are protected from most forms of development to prevent urban sprawl are known as green belt land.

• Greenfield Land

Land which has not yet been developed or built on is called greenfield land.

• Listed Buildings

A listed building or structure is deemed to have architectural or historic interest and they’re added to a national list to recognise their national importance. In England and Wales there are three types of listed buildings: Grade I, Grade II, and Grade III.

• Local Planning Authority

Individuals within a council’s local planning authority are responsible for deciding whether the planning permission application for your future home build or sunroom extension should be granted.

• Outline Planning Application

This type of application requires fewer details about your proposed new build than a full planning application. An outline planning application is typically submitted at an early stage to find out whether a proposed development is likely to achieve planning approval from the local planning authority.

• Permitted Development

Permitted development rights allow homeowners to carry out certain changes to their homes, for example, in the form of an oak framed conservatory, without needing to submit a full planning permission application.

• Planning permission conditions / Pre-commencement Conditions

In place of refusing your application, your case officer may grant permission but with conditions attached that must be adhered to before building work can commence.

• Pre-occupation conditions

These are requirements issued by the council which must be met before you can live in your beautiful new family home.