Why do most planning applications get refused?

Most applications are refused because the proposal conflicts with the council's Local Plan. This is almost always avoidable with the right preparation. Under s.38(6) PCPA 2004, applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Common avoidable causes: not reading Local Plan policies before commissioning drawings; missing supporting documents; unaddressed environmental constraints (flood risk, trees, ecology — all checkable for free before submission). Refusals are predictable, not random. Every application is assessed against five categories: policy compliance, design quality, amenity impact, highways, and environmental constraints. Miss any one and the officer has a well-founded reason to refuse.

What are the three most common avoidable planning mistakes?

Three failures account for the majority of avoidable refusals — all preventable before a single form is submitted. 1. No pre-submission neighbour engagement. Talk to neighbours, document it, address what you can, and include the engagement in your planning statement. 2. Design that doesn't fit its context. Scale, massing, and materials must respect the surrounding area. The design and access statement must justify the design concept — not merely describe the proposal. 3. Unaddressed environmental constraints. Protected trees, flood zones, ecology, and contamination are all checkable for free. They are not surprises — they are failures of preparation.

Is pre-application advice worth it?

Yes — in almost every case. A householder pre-app costs £100–£500 and takes 4–6 weeks. A refused application that goes to appeal costs £5,000–£15,000 and takes 12–30 months. The officer's response identifies whether the principle is acceptable, which policies apply, what documents are required, and what design changes would strengthen the application. A response on file is also a material consideration — demonstrating good faith engagement. Book it before the architect produces detailed drawings.

Do I need planning permission for a house extension?

It depends on permitted development rights under the GPDO 2015 — but those rights can be removed, and assuming they apply without checking is a common and costly mistake. Detached houses: up to 8m rear extension under prior approval; up to 4m without. Semi/terraced: up to 6m under prior approval; up to 3m without. PD rights do NOT apply if: the property is listed; an Article 4 Direction applies (common in conservation areas); conditions on the original permission removed them; or previous extensions used the allowance. A Certificate of Lawful Development provides formal written confirmation — strongly recommended even where PD rights clearly apply.

What happens if you build without planning permission?

REPLACE THIS — see flag (a). The visible text references the abolished four-year rule. Correct the page to the current 10-year rule (England, from 25 April 2024), then paste the corrected visible wording here verbatim.

What is a Local Plan and why does it matter?

The Local Plan is the legally binding document controlling what can be built in your area. Under s.38(6) PCPA 2004, all applications must be decided in accordance with it. If your proposal conflicts with it, it will be refused. It sets out where development will go, density requirements, design standards, affordable housing percentages, and environmental designations. Your Local Plan is publicly available on your council's planning portal. Read it before commissioning drawings. If a council's Local Plan is more than five years old without active review and cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, the plan may be out of date — triggering a 'presumption in favour of sustainable development' under NPPF Para.11. Experienced developers actively look for councils with out-of-date Local Plans.

What is a material planning consideration — and what isn't?

A material planning consideration is any factor an officer or committee can lawfully take into account. Decisions made on non-material grounds are legally vulnerable. Material: policy compliance, design quality, amenity impact (overlooking, overshadowing, loss of light, noise), highways, flood risk, ecology, heritage, public benefit. Not material: effect on property values; personal disputes; competition concerns; moral objections; general opposition to change. None of these can lawfully influence a planning decision. A committee that refuses on non-material grounds exposes the council to a costs award at appeal.

Does the Green Belt actually protect beautiful countryside?

No. The Green Belt is a spatial planning policy to prevent urban sprawl — not a nature or landscape designation. High ecological or landscape quality is not required for Green Belt status. England has 1.6 million hectares of Green Belt. A significant proportion is scrubland, degraded agricultural land, golf courses, and car parks — receiving almost the same planning protection as a National Park despite a fraction of the ecological value. The designations that actually protect landscape and ecology are National Parks, National Landscapes (formerly AONBs), and SSSIs — separate designations with separate legislative bases. The December 2024 NPPF introduced 'grey belt' — lower-quality Green Belt land to be released before higher-quality land.

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Tom Weighton 30/05/2026 Tom Weighton 30/05/2026

Listed Building Consent: What you can and cannot do

You can carry out routine, like-for-like maintenance to a listed building without consent — minor repairs in matching materials, redecoration, and swapping purely modern fittings. You need listed building consent for anything that affects the building's special character: altering or removing original fabric, replacing windows or doors, extending, demolishing, or changing the exterior. The listing covers the whole building, inside and out, plus attached structures and most pre-1948 buildings in the grounds. Doing work that needs consent without it is a criminal offence — so when in doubt, check with your local conservation officer first.