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How can I contact my council's planning department?
A council’s planning department, known as the local planning authority (LPA), is the local government body responsible for managing and overseeing the planning system in a specific area.
You can use the search tool on Planning Portal to find the contact details for any local planning authority in England and Wales.
Common Questions
In many cases, you can extend a house without applying for planning permission by using what's known as permitted development rights, provided certain limits and conditions are met. However, if your plans go beyond these restrictions, you will likely need to apply for householder planning permission.
Planning permission is not required for the installation of a stair lift, however, if you live in a listed building, you will have to apply for listed building consent for any significant works, whether internal or external.
Stairlifts must be installed in line with BS EN 81-40:2020 which focuses on safety requirements for the installation of stairlifts.
An application for full planning permission for a change of use is often required when changing from a house (use class C3) to a residential institution (use class C2). This is due to the increased activity which a C2 use would have on the local street area through the addition of visitors, staff and changes to parking.
Read additional information on use classes and changes of use.
If you plan to put up a small, detached building like a garden shed, garden room, garden office, annexe or summerhouse (all classed as outbuildings), building regulations generally won’t apply if the building has a floor area under 15 square metres and does not include any sleeping accommodation.
For buildings with a floor area between 15 and 30 square metres, building regulations approval is usually not needed - as long as the building does not include sleeping accommodation and either:
- it is at least one metre away from any boundary, or
- it is built mainly from non-combustible materials.
Read more about the building regulations that apply to outbuildings.
Don't forget to check the permitted development rights for outbuildings.
You do not need planning permission to move internal walls.
Removing a load bearing wall will require building control approval as it is altering the structure of the property. You will be required to provide a report from a structural engineer who will provide structural calculations.
Work on internal walls may also affect fire escape routes, ventilation, drainage or electrics. These should be considered during the design process and work should be carried out by a member of the competent person scheme where possible.
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