7 Myths about planning permission

In this article, we have dispelled 7 myths about planning permission. You must read this article if you are not aware of planning permission and are up for development projects.

Myth 1. “You need to own land to get planning permission”.

You don’t have to own land to make a planning permission application. You can make a planning application on any land in the country. Before buying a land always check if planning approval is available on the land.

Myth 2. “I’ll get my decision in a couple of weeks”.

If all the documents are submitted properly then the planning decision should take no longer than 8 weeks. But in case further documents and information are requested then there are chances that the council can take longer to decide your application.

Myth 3. “Our plan is guaranteed to be approved as my plan is like the houses down the street”.

The planning decision of every land has their own specific circumstances. After every few years policies evolve which significantly impacts a planning decision. The planning history on that land also plays a huge part in making a planning decision.

Myth 4.  “I won’t get an approval based on the objection of people nearby”.

Any objection from people nearby or neighbours, won’t have any impact on the final planning decision.

Myth 5. “You cannot make any changes to the application once it is submitted”.

If, after the application is submitted to the planning commission, you want to make any changes to your application, you can always withdraw the application at any given moment, make the required changes and resubmit it again, free of charge. 

Myth 6. “You can only submit the planning application a selected number of times”.

On any land in the country, you can submit an infinite number of planning applications and later decide which plan to use. An approved planning decision is active for 3 years and you can choose which plan to select if the permission is still active. It doesn’t have to be the most recent plan.

Myth 7. “I can make changes as the construction starts”. 

If the construction is not made according to the planning permission and conditions, then technically it doesn’t have planning permission. All such changes are void and can have consequences like demolition, enforcement actions or an unsellable asset.