The difference between Planning and Building Control

You may require both Building Control and Planning permission, one or the other or even neither for your project.

Planning permission

Planning permission is normally not needed for:

• most internal alterations
• some extensions
• some loft conversions
• some garages

If your home is listed or in a conservation area, you may need listed building consent.

Planning permission will take at least two months so make sure you leave plenty of time.

Planning look at:

• the location of the site
• the siting of the property
• the building height and size
• the percentage of the plot
• the local policies
• appearance
• materials
• colour match of bricks
• colour and type of tiles

Building Control

Building Control provide inspections to check the safety and quality of the work to make sure the building will not fall down or burn down. They check that all building works meet the standards set our in the Building Regs. These are not things that are checked by Planning.

Contacting Building Control or Planning

If you are still not sure if you need Building Control or Planning permission you should contact us:

• contact Building Control
• contact Planning