Prior Approval
For development that is already permitted in principle, but where the council still gets a say on specific matters. Larger extensions and office-to-residential conversions are the common ones.
When
When your council will require it
- A larger home extension beyond the standard permitted development depth
- Office to residential conversion under Class MA
- Agricultural to residential conversion under Class Q
- Other Classes where the Order reserves matters for approval
Contents
What is in it
- 01The permitted development right and Class relied on
- 02Confirmation the scheme falls within that Class's limits and conditions
- 03Each matter the Class reserves, addressed in turn: transport, contamination, flooding, noise, natural light, external appearance
- 04The evidence for each
Authority
What makes it necessary
General Permitted Development Order 2015, Schedule 2. The council may only consider the matters the Class reserves. It is not an application for planning permission and the document does not argue as if it were.
Price
What it costs
This document is not priced on its own. It is part of the fixed fee for the application it supports, and a case producing three documents costs the same as a case producing one. On a householder application that fee is £499, with your council’s statutory fee passed on separately at cost.
A shorter research draft of this document is also available for credits, for your own use. It is clearly marked on every page as not for submission, and it carries nobody’s signature.
Questions
Questions
How is prior approval different from planning permission?
The principle is already settled by the Order. The council can only assess the specific matters that Class reserves, and it has a fixed period to do it in. It is a narrower question, which is why it is quicker.
Start here
Does your site need a prior approval?
Draw a boundary and the appraisal tells you which documents your route and your constraints require, before you commit to anything.