Five stages, in this order. You sign off the drawings; any other owners are given notice and the application goes in with the fee; the council validates it, which starts the 8-week clock; the application is publicised and consulted on; and the case officer writes a report and the council issues a decision notice. For a householder application the decision is due within 8 weeks of validation unless you agree a longer period in writing (MHCLG). Our submission and agent service, which covers everything from submission to the decision, is £195.
On this page
How long each stage takes in your borough is a separate question, covered with London's own figures in our post on how quickly planning drawings get done. This post is about what happens, what you will see, and what you need to do.
What do you check before the drawings go in?
Three things, because each is hard to change once the application is live. The description of the work, which the decision notice will repeat word for word. The red line on the location plan, which must take in everything the work touches, including the garden where a rear extension sits. And the dimensions you care about most: the depth of the extension, the height of the eaves on the boundary, the size of the dormer.
Once the application is submitted, changes are at the council's discretion, and a significant change can mean withdrawing and starting again. A careful hour at sign-off is cheaper than either.
What happens when the application is submitted?
If anyone else owns part of the land, such as the freeholder of a London flat, they are sent notice first, and the matching ownership certificate goes in with the form. Then the application and fee are submitted, usually online. You, or your agent, get an acknowledgement.
Next comes validation: a technical check by the council that everything required is there. The statutory period only starts once the council has the fee, documents and information it needs (MHCLG, Making an application, paragraph 053). If something is missing, the council writes to ask for it. If you believe a request goes beyond what the council can require, you can dispute it with an article 12 notice. When the application is valid, you receive a validation letter or email with the application reference and the target decision date. Keep it; every later message quotes that reference.
How are the neighbours told?
By the council, not by you. For a non-major application, which covers almost every house extension and loft, the council must put up a site notice or write to neighbours, and publish the application on its website (MHCLG, Consultation and pre-decision matters, paragraph 029). On a London terrace that usually means letters to the houses either side and behind, or a notice on a lamp post outside.
The council also consults anyone else with a say, such as its conservation or highways officers, or a statutory consultee, which has 21 days to give a substantive response (paragraph 011). The council may not decide the application before the public consultation period has ended (paragraph 032). Comments from neighbours appear on the website, so you can read objections as they come in.
What does the case officer do?
Reads the drawings against the council's policies, considers the comments, and may visit the site or look at photographs. If the officer has a concern, such as a dormer that is too wide or a window that overlooks a neighbour, they may email asking for an amendment. Whether to accept a change, and whether a change is small enough to take without fresh consultation, is up to the council. Our post on amending drawings after council comments covers how those requests work.
If the officer needs more time, they may ask you to agree an extension. That agreement must be in writing and set out when a decision is expected (MHCLG, Determining a planning application, paragraph 003). Agreeing can be sensible when it lets a fixable concern be fixed rather than refused. Councils can delegate decisions to an officer or to a committee (paragraph 015), and householder cases are usually decided by an officer rather than a committee. Either way, the officer's report, which sets out the reasoning, normally appears on the website alongside the decision.
What if the council runs late?
If the period passes with no decision and no agreed extension, you can appeal against non-determination. If you have not appealed and a non-major application is still undecided after 16 weeks, with no longer period agreed, the council refunds the application fee (paragraph 004). In practice, a polite chase to the officer with your reference usually comes first; an appeal takes the decision out of the council's hands and is slow in its own right.
What does the decision notice tell you?
Either permission, almost always with conditions, or a refusal. A refusal must give the full reasons; an approval no longer has to give reasons on the notice (paragraph 020). On an approval, read the list of conditions and the list of approved drawings. Some conditions must be met before any work starts, and those need their own application; our post on discharging conditions explains how. Permission usually lasts 3 years from the date it is granted.
On a refusal, the reasons tell you whether a redesign could overcome them. A householder appeal must be made within 12 weeks of the date on the decision letter (GOV.UK), so decide between redesign and appeal promptly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the drawings after they are submitted? Sometimes, at the council's discretion. Small changes requested by the officer are often accepted before the decision; larger ones may need a new application.
Will my neighbours see my drawings? Yes. The application, including the drawings, is published on the council's website. Councils usually hold back personal details such as signatures and phone numbers, but write the form on the assumption that anything on it may be seen.
Do I need to do anything during the 8 weeks? Usually not. If you have an agent, they deal with the officer. If a neighbour objects, the officer weighs the objection against policy; you do not need to reply to it directly.
Who sends me the decision? The council, to the applicant or to the agent named on the form. With our submission service, we pass it to you with the conditions listed. The complete planning drawing service, £645 drawings + £150 survey (£795 total), includes submission.
Can building regulations start before the decision? The drawings can, but there is a risk: if the officer asks for changes, the construction drawings change too. Many owners wait for the decision before commissioning them.
