Insights
Plain-English guides to the main planning subjects, and a timeline of every significant change to planning law and policy in England since 2021. Search for a topic or browse below.
The essentials on the subjects we’re asked about most.
What you can build without a planning application: extensions, loft conversions, porches and outbuildings, the key size limits, and when permitted development rights don’t apply.
Read the guideWhen an extension or alteration needs planning permission, it’s usually a householder application. What to submit, how long it takes, and how to give yourself the best chance of approval.
Read the guideIf a building is listed, most changes that affect its character need listed building consent, inside as well as out. Carrying out works without it is a criminal offence. What’s covered and how to get consent.
Read the guideConservation areas protect the character of historic places. Permitted development rights are reduced, demolition needs permission, and trees are protected. A practical guide for homeowners and developers.
Read the guideA lawful development certificate (LDC) confirms that a proposed project is permitted development, or that existing works or a use have become lawful. Why it’s worth getting one, and how it works.
Read the guideSome permitted development rights need the council’s prior approval before work starts. What prior approval covers, how long it takes, and the most common types.
Read the guideEvery building has a planning ‘use class’. Some changes of use are allowed without permission and others need a full application. A plain-English guide to the use classes in England.
Read the guideConverting a house to an HMO can sometimes be done without planning permission, but Article 4 directions now remove that right across much of London. What the rules are and how licensing differs from planning.
Read the guideIf your application is refused, or not decided in time, you can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. The strict deadlines, how the process works, and when resubmitting is the better option.
Read the guideMost enforcement cases start with a complaint and end with a retrospective application. How the process works, the notices councils can serve, the deadlines, and how to resolve things.
Read the guideMost permissions come with conditions, and most schemes change during design. How to discharge conditions, and when to use a non-material amendment, a section 73 application or a new permission.
Read the guideSection 106 agreements and CIL are how development pays towards infrastructure and affordable housing. How each works, when they apply, and how to avoid expensive CIL mistakes.
Read the guideGreen Belt policy is strict, but there are well-established exceptions, and since December 2024 a new ‘grey belt’ route for some sites. A guide for homeowners and landowners.
Read the guideMost councils offer paid pre-application advice. When it’s worth the time and fee, how to get the most from it, and what weight the advice carries.
Read the guidePlanning permission and building regulations are separate systems. Most building projects need building regulations approval even when they don’t need planning permission.
Read the guideMany trees are protected by tree preservation orders or by being in a conservation area. When you need consent, how trees affect planning applications, and the penalties for getting it wrong.
Read the guideFlood risk can stop development, or shape it. How flood zones work, when you need a flood risk assessment, and what the sequential and exception tests mean.
Read the guideEvery significant change to planning law and national policy in England, newest first.
2026
From 31 October 2026, a national scheme decides which applications are made by planning officers and which go to committee. Most householder and minor applications will always be delegated, and councillor call-ins end.
Read the updatePublished on 17 August 2026, the new NPPF is restructured into named policy codes, replaces the old tilted balance with national decision-making policies, and gives stronger support to small sites and development near stations.
Read the updateSince 6 August 2026, mandatory BNG no longer applies to most developments on sites of 0.2 hectares or below. How the new exemption works, the priority habitat catch, and what it means for applications already in the system.
Read the update2025
The Act received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025. It introduces the Nature Restoration Fund, reforms planning committees and speeds up major infrastructure. Most of its changes are being brought in by regulations through 2026.
Read the updateFrom 29 May 2025, homeowners can install air source heat pumps more freely, including closer to boundaries, and the rules for electric vehicle charging points were relaxed.
Read the updateFrom 1 April 2025, the fee for a householder application for one home rose from £258 to £528, and planning fees now rise each year with inflation.
Read the update2024
The December 2024 NPPF made housing targets mandatory again, raised overall need to around 370,000 homes a year, and created the ‘grey belt’ with its ‘golden rules’ for Green Belt development.
Read the updateFrom 21 May 2024, Class Q allows up to 10 homes to be created from agricultural buildings, includes former agricultural buildings, and permits limited rear extensions.
Read the updateSince 25 April 2024, councils in England have 10 years to take enforcement action against any breach of planning control. The old 4-year rule for building works and changes to a dwelling has gone.
Read the updateFrom 5 March 2024, the right to convert commercial buildings (Class E) to homes lost its 1,500 m² floorspace cap and its three-month vacancy requirement.
Read the updateBiodiversity net gain became mandatory for major development on 12 February 2024 and for small sites on 2 April 2024. Most new development must leave nature 10% better off than before.
Read the update2023
The December 2023 NPPF made the standard method for housing need advisory and relaxed the five-year land supply test for some councils. Most of these changes were reversed a year later.
Read the updateFrom 6 December 2023, planning fees rose by 35% for major applications and 25% for all others. The ‘free go’ for repeat applications ended and the Planning Guarantee for non-major applications was cut to 16 weeks.
Read the updateThe Act received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. It changed enforcement time limits, created a new route to vary permissions, and set up reforms to local plans and national policy. Many provisions were commenced in stages.
Read the updateFrom 1 October 2023, building control for higher-risk residential buildings moved to the Building Safety Regulator, with formal ‘gateways’ before work starts and before occupation.
Read the update2022
From 15 June 2022, tougher energy standards (Part L), new rules on overheating (Part O) and EV charging (Part S) and updated ventilation rules (Part F) came into force for new building work.
Read the updateIn March 2022, Natural England extended nutrient neutrality advice to many more councils. New homes in affected river catchments must show they will not add nitrogen or phosphorus to protected habitats.
Read the update2021
From 1 August 2021, a new permitted development right allowed buildings in the commercial, business and service use class (Class E) to change to homes through prior approval.
Read the updateSince 1 August 2021, planning applications for relevant residential buildings of 18 metres or more, or 7 or more storeys, must include a fire statement, and the fire safety regulator is consulted.
Read the updateThe July 2021 NPPF put beauty and design quality at the centre of national policy, introduced local design codes, and required new streets to be tree-lined.
Read the updateFrom 28 June 2021, First Homes became a type of affordable housing: homes sold to first-time buyers at a discount of at least 30%, secured through section 106 agreements.
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