Preparing your planning application

Before you start gathering plans and documents, make sure you’re applying for the right type of permission.

You may need:

• Full planning permission – for new builds, major changes or any alterations you want to make to a flat
• Outline planning permission – establishes whether development is acceptable in principle, before final design is agreed.
• Reserved Matters Consent - these approve the detailed design (appearance, layout, landscaping) following outline permission.
• Listed Building Consent – for alterations to listed buildings
• Lawful Development Certificate – to confirm work doesn’t need planning permission

The council offers a pre-application planning advice service to help you understand local requirements before submitting a formal application.

This can help you:

• find out what information we’ll need
• get early feedback on design and layout
• understand policy issues early
• identify required documents
• reduce refusal risk

Pre application advice is not approval, but it can save time and cost in the long term.

For proposals involving 50 or more homes, or particularly complex issues, a Planning Performance Agreement may be appropriate.

PPAs:

• set out clear timescales and meetings
• improve coordination
• help manage complex schemes

What you will usually need

Most larger applications require:

• application forms via the Planning Portal
• site and location plans
• existing and proposed drawings
• a design and access statement
• supporting technical reports

Validation requirements differ by application type.

Essential documents

When submitting your application it is important that you include all the necessary documents. This helps us understand what you want to do, and will speed up the decision-making process.

Most planning applications need the following:

• Application form – completed online through the Planning Portal
• Location plan – showing your site and surrounding properties (to scale)
• Site plan – showing boundaries, new work, access and trees
• Existing and proposed drawings – floor plans, elevations and sections
• Ownership certificate – confirming who owns the land
• Design and access statement (for larger or sensitive sites)
• Supporting documents – such as flood risk, heritage or ecology reports if required

View and download our validation checklists

Find out exactly what is needed for each type of application: 

Full Planning Permission >> 

Further national and local validation requirements >>

Approval of Reserved Matters pursuant to an Outline Planning Consent >>

Ways you can speed up your application

Using the following formats will make it quicker for us to validate your planning application.

File names for drawings

Use the following format file names and descriptions:

• File name: [drawing number] [drawing name].pdf
• File description: [drawing number] [drawing name]

For example:

• File name: P01 Rev 1 Proposed Ground Floor Plan.pdf
• File description: P01 Rev 1 Proposed Ground Floor Plan

File names for supporting reports

For supporting reports you should reflects the name used within the validation list, followed by the site address.

For example: The planning statement for an application relating to the Brent Civic Centre should be named: Planning Statement Brent Civic Centre.pdf

Planning application fees are set nationally, but they’re paid to the council when you apply.

You can use the Planning Portal fee calculator to estimate what your application will cost.

We also charge for:

• Pre-application advice
• Land Charges
• Copies of historical decision notices or plans

• Submitting incomplete or incorrect plans.
• Forgetting ownership certificates or site boundaries.
• Starting work before permission is granted.
• Not including all the required supporting documents.
• Ignoring local design policies or guidance.