Planning Permission: Thoughts Before and During Approved Permission

Gaining planning permission to renovate, build or develop property generally depends on the circumstances of the property and a number of factors within your control and others outside your control. Outlined below is general advice about the types of work for which you require to apply for planning permission and those for which you do not. Obtaining planning permission to develop land or real estate depends on the nature of that you wish to make to block of apartments, houses and the location of the property.

Countries, regions, cities, towns and villages all have there own planning rules and guidelines. Who has the authority to give planning permission?

- Town halls
- Mayor
- Local government
- Regional government
- Planning committees

Depending on the country where you intend to gain planning permission it could take from 2 weeks to years or indeed planning permission may never be given for various reasons.
- Italy, France, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zeeland, Japan, Germany, Canada
These countries listed require detailed plans be submitted to the relevant bodies for planning permission to be approved. Time scales in these courtiers also require more time before planning consent is approved due to meetings and regulation checks to be carried out.

Planning permission within 8 weeks or less
- Spain, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Turkey, China and on a good day Portugal

Depending on your plans submitted to the mayor in Spain or the town hall in Bulgaria you permission could be approved within 8 weeks. Check with the local planning department in the area of the development on time scales and possible issues to inform you if you require making any changes to the plans that are being submitted.

Checks before submitting your plans

- Has planning permission already been granted?
- Planning permission been refused before?
- Guidelines on submitting your application
- Required documents
- Are you likely to gain planning permission?
- Planning granted next door or immediate area for your type of permission. Precedence set?
- Accurate plans to be submitted
- Breach of health and safety?
- In keeping with the building and immediate area
- Does your planning permission application met guidelines, in respect to illegal building
- Green or brown field site. More likely to gain planning permission for brown field sites.
- Change of use can cause delays in planning permission being granted
- Consult the locals in the area. They can reject your plans when and if your permission is posted up in the local area for all to see.
- Plans that you are submitting are the designs that you wish? This will save you months in submitting the correct detailed plans that you want first time. Going back to have the plans amended half way through a development could and will cost time and financial resources. Yes, it happens!

Always check before submitting for planning permission with the local authorities, locals, and web search’s, and if you are concerned about planning and legal issues seek professional advice.

Permission required

The following list is no exhaustive, although can inform you if planning permission is required:

- Building a large extension to your existing property
- Putting up a fence over a certain height
- Converting a loft or cellar
- Removing or changing support structures in property
- Changing the use of a property
- Planning permission is in general always required for listed building status, green field sites and places of outstanding beauty.
- Obstruct next doors view or light
- Very close to other buildings
- Changing windows in certain areas
- Converting from a house to a block of apartments or the other way around.
- Development next to or close to roads, or pathways.
- Conservation areas
- Obtaining permission for a development over a certain cubic size for internal and external developments
- Change the fabric structure of some buildings, especially listed buildings
- Installing a sky light in a loft
- Convert buildings used for farming use into a home

Before starting a development

Always have the correct planning permission in place before undertaking any changes to real estate, land or property of any type.

Making structural changes to a house without planning permission could land you in jail in some countries and or at least a heavy fine in most countries, while having to make right the changes you made.

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