If you’re considering a home renovation or building project, it’s important to understand what building regulations and planning permission are. Both guidelines are crucial to make sure your project meets legal standards, but each serves different purposes.
So, what is the difference between building regulations and planning permission?
In short, planning permission assesses if your project proposal meets national and local policies and whether it would cause harm, like damaging the quality of life for neighbours in the area.
Building control is different, as it looks at the safety, accessibility and structural integrity of your development project during the construction process.
Let’s explore the difference between these two approval regulations in more detail.
Understanding Building and Planning Regulations
Building and planning regulations are required before you begin construction work on a property. These regulations are necessary to assess the quality of construction which occurs.
Both planning permission and building regulations are applications that are sent to a local council, which is why they are regularly confused with each other. The distinction is that each application is sent to an entirely different council department. Building regulations and planning permission are considered under separate legislation.
Each of these standards is designed to protect residents from unsafe construction projects and poor craftsmanship, as well as those who build the actual project.
What Is Planning Permission?
Planning permission looks at how our cities, countryside, and towns evolve. This covers the way buildings look, the use of buildings and land, highway access, the environmental effects of development projects, and landscaping concerns.
Planning permission also assesses whether buildings are constructed in the correct places. The project should fit the location and its residents, ensuring the proposal doesn’t affect local neighbours.
In the case of bigger development projects, access to GP surgeries and local schools is also important. In light of this, your planning permission should include evidence to show your proposal is a positive addition to your community.
The government gives LPAs (local planning authorities) the power to oversee land use and construction locations. These local planning authorities have development management departments that manage the planning permission application process.
How To Make A Planning Permission Application
Always contact your local authority’s planning department to assess whether you need to seek planning permission before you send an application. This department will be the team that reviews your application. Some construction work falls under permitted development, and will not require planning permission.
You’ll need to send your planning permission application through an online platform, which is different based on where you live in the UK.
- England and Wales: Planning Portal
- Scotland: ePlanning Scotland
- Northern Ireland: Planning Northern Ireland
Local councils have different local demands for applications concerning a specific type, area, or scale of project.
Once you send in your application, your local authority will review it and collect information from your neighbouring residents to help make their choice. They will send this feedback to you through the online platform, after which you may need to alter and re-send your plans.
What Is Building Regulations Approval?
Building regulations approval involves regulations that concern all buildings. This ensures the building is safe for people who live in or around the structure.
Building regulations include several government-approved documents that look into the technical side of construction project work.
Most types of building work, including extensions, alterations, or new builds need building regulations approval. This includes the following common renovation projects:
- Loft conversions
- Building extensions
- Garage conversions into living rooms
- Installing cavity insulation
- Drainage works
How To Make A Building Regulations Approval Application
To apply for building regulations approval, you’ll need to contact a BCB (building control body). There are two types of BCB that you can use: local authority and private.
Local authority BCBs involve applying for approval from your local council. All local councils in England have building regulations departments. The council’s job is to make sure all building and construction work meets building regulations.
Private BCBs involve applying for approval through a private approved inspector. This person is hired and will notify your local authority about the construction work taking place. It’s up to you which building control body you use for your project.
You can send a building regulations approval application in two ways: a full plans application or a building notice notification.
Full Plan Application
A full plan application includes in-depth building regulation drawings, complete specifications and plans of the building details, and the relevant fee. This is the ideal route for complicated home extensions, new builds, and remodelling jobs. Full plan applications mean that you have full control over whether the project is or isn’t acceptable.
Your local authority will look at your plans, contact any required utilities or agencies, then tell you their decision within five weeks. You may be asked to make alterations, provide additional details, or be granted ‘conditional approval’, where permission is contingent on making specific changes.
Building Notice
A building notice can be used if you’re carrying out minor work on a domestic property. This typically doesn’t need complete specifications of construction work or in-depth plans and lets you carry out work without prior approval.
A local authority will then come out to inspect your project at several stages. Construction work will cease as the work is checked to see if it meets regulations.
If you do not tell your local authority when each stage is reached, the work may be checked for further inspection. Failure to comply with building regulations may result in an enforcement notice that forces you to remove or make significant changes to the work.
Are Both Building Regulations Approval and Planning Permission Necessary?
Now that you understand the difference between building regulations and planning permission, you may wonder, are both of these regulations always necessary?
In the case of building regulations approval, all projects that extend beyond slight decoration and repairs will require building regulations approval before your project begins.
Planning permission isn’t always necessary, as several minor home renovation projects are classed as permitted development. Permitted development regulations allow homeowners to extend and improve their homes without needing to apply for planning permission.
Any work classed as permitted development needs to meet particular criteria that restrict the maximum size of loft conversions and home extensions.
For example, in the case of single-storey extensions, the extension should not extend beyond the rear of the original home by over four meters for a detached house, or by three meters for other properties.
If a project exceeds these dimensions, or if it involves other conditions, like listed buildings or properties in conservation areas, you will need to apply for planning permission, even if the project meets building regulations approval.
If you’re uncertain as to whether your renovation project requires planning permission, we can help!
Rose Line Premier have over 20 years of experience building and constructing spaces. From house extensions to loft conversions, we can let you know whether your project ideas require planning permission approval before you begin.
To discuss your project ideas in more detail, give us a call at 07933690156, or fill out our contact form on our website.
Should I Get Planning Permission Before Building Regulations Approval?
Though you can send your planning permission applications at the same time as your building regulations application, this is rarely done.
Planning permission applications are typically sent and approved before seeking building regulations approval. This is because the extent of planning permission is broader and does not need the level of detail needed for building regulations approval.
Additionally, clients rarely want to pay for an in-depth construction design service without the safety of securing planning permission beforehand. Nevertheless, skilled architects should think about both regulation sets during the entire design stage.
Some construction cases may require contacting your local council’s building regulations team before or throughout the planning phase. We want to avoid having planning permission approved when the project would not have met building regulation regulations, as this wastes time and resources.
Though you may send a planning permission application first, it’s a good idea to make sure your project design ideas consider building regulations and planning permission from the start. This can make the approval process go smoothly and prevent costly revisions later on.
There we have it! We hope this post helped explain the difference between building regulations and planning permission.
How We Can Help
If you’re considering a home renovation or construction project, Rose Line Premier can help!
Our skilled team has considerable experience in all design and build areas and we’re proud of our attention to detail and high-quality workmanship.
To discuss an upcoming architectural design or construction project, send us an email at enquiries@roselinepremier.com or give us a call at 02079987679.