Planning permission for businesses
Businesses seeking to develop their premises need to apply to
the council for
planning permission. Permission may be required
when
building new premises,
changing the use of existing premises, or
extending existing buildings. Decisions
are made in line with borough planning policies and government
guidance.
Businesses can check informally with
planning services whether a proposed
development needs planning permission. If you need this information
in writing, you can also apply for a formal decision, known as a
Lawful Development Certificate.
Planning permission: a guide for business
(pdf)
Describes the planning process for businesses in detail.
Building new
premises
Businesses seeking to build new premises need to apply to the
council (planning services) for planning permission. Applications
for new premises are decided in line with the council's
Unitary Development Plan which sets out
planning policies by which a planning application will be judged.
Points that will be looked at include:
- number, size, layout, siting and external appearance of buildings
- proposed means of access, landscaping and impact on the neighbourhood
- availability of infrastructure such as roads and water supply
- proposed use of the development, and how it relates to the
locality
Changing
the use of existing
premises
Businesses need planning permission from the council before
significantly changing the use of any premises e.g. office to pub.
In many cases, a change of use of a building does not require
planning permission. Planning permission is not needed when both
the present and proposed uses fall within the same 'class' as
defined in the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987.
An application is always required for changes of use involving
amusement centres, theatres, scrap yards, petrol stations, car
showrooms, taxi and car hire businesses, and hostels.
Extending existing
premises
Minor extensions of existing premises, including additional
buildings within the site, may not need a planning application
because the development is already permitted under Schedule 2 of
the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order
1995. For factories or warehouses planning permission is required
if the extension:
- materially affects the external appearance of the building
- comes within five metres of the boundary of the site
- reduces the amount of space available for parking or turning
of vehicles
Planning permission is usually not required for changes to the inside of buildings or for small external alterations such as telephone connections and alarm boxes. Other small changes, for example putting up low-level walls and fences (one metre high fronting a highway or footpath, two metres high elsewhere), have a general planning permission for which a specific application is not required.