Planning frequently asked questions

Single dwelling houses

The installation of replacement windows to a single dwelling house does not generally need planning permission, except where a change of window frame material is proposed (e.g. timber to PVCu and vice versa).

If your single dwelling house is covered by an Article 4 Direction that removes permitted development rights for external alterations then planning permission for replacement windows may be required. More information is available here: Properties affected by Article 4 Directions

If your single dwelling house is a listed building, then planning permission would be required for the installation of replacement windows. Listed Building Consent would also be required for the installation of replacement windows and any internal works such as the installation of secondary glazing.

However, to respect the character of the building and local area, we recommend any replacement windows should follow the style of the original windows and replicate the appearance, materials, frame/glazing detailing, and opening type, where achievable.

Flats and maisonettes

The installation of replacement windows to a flat or maisonette does not require planning permission so long as the replacement windows are identical 'like-for-like' replacements in terms of appearance and material.

Planning permission is likely to be required, if the replacement windows would not match the appearance and material of the existing windows in terms of:

• Material (e.g. timber to PVCu and vice versa)
• Opening style (e.g. sliding sash to outward/inward opening or vice versa)
• Subdivision and thickness of the window frame
• Design and pattern of glazing bars
• Glazing type (e.g. single glazing to double or triple glazing and vice versa)
• Size of window openings

If your flat or maisonette is located within a listed building, then planning permission would be required for the installation of replacement windows.

Listed Building Consent would also be required for the installation of replacement windows and any internal works such as the installation of secondary glazing.

Listed buildings

More information about listed buildings is available here: Statutory Listed Buildings

Freeholder consent

Separately, if the property is a flat or maisonette you may need the freeholder's permission to make changes to exterior of the building depending on the terms of your lease.

You may need planning permission to put up a satellite dish in a flat or maisonette.

For all properties in conservation areas, planning permission is required, but would be unlikely to be granted if it is visible from the road.

It might be possible to put up a satellite dish without the need for planning permission in a house, under permitted development rights. See further information from the Planning Portal on satellite dishes.

Planning Permission: General information - Satellite, TV and radio antenna - Planning Portal

We would advise you to make an application for a Lawful Development Certificate in order to obtain confirmation that the proposed works fall under permitted development rights.

Lawful development certificate - What to do next - Planning Portal

Yes. You will need to apply for planning permission to create a roof terrace for a flat or a house.

Make a planning application

You need to apply for planning permission to erect a garden shed or an outbuilding in a flat or maisonette.

For a single house, the erection of a garden shed or an outbuilding can be permitted development if it meets the requirements set out in Class E GPDO. See further information on the Planning Portal on outbuildings.

Planning Permission - Outbuildings - Planning Portal

If the property is in a conservation area, you will require planning permission if the proposed outbuilding will be at the side or front of the property.

You need full planning permission to create a new basement or extend the existing basement. This includes flats, maisonettes and single dwelling houses.

There is an Article 4 direction in place regarding basements.

To check our current planning regarding basements, please see pages DC11 of the Local Plan. See also Key Principles BL1, 2 and 3 of the Planning Guidance - Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). An application for a basement will require a Construction Method Statement.

Planning permission is not required for a person to short term let/holiday let a property or a room within their property as long as:

• they are the person who is liable to pay council tax for the property;
• they don't let the property on short term lets for more than a total of 90 days in any calendar year.

These new provisions do not apply to companies or letting agencies.

This council has a zero-tolerance approach to those who are flouting the regulations and will take enforcement action against owners or landlords who are found to be in breach of the regulations.

A property in a conservation area may still benefit from permitted development rights, subject to there being no Article 4 restrictions on the property. A lawful development certificate is encouraged.

Lawful development certificate - What to do next - Planning Portal

The installation of solar panels is usually permitted development (i.e. not requiring planning permission) provided it complies with the following criteria;

• the solar panels do not protrude more than 0.2 metres beyond the plane of the wall or roof slope or exceed the highest part of the roof (excluding the chimney)
• Solar panels are not installed to a wall which fronts a highway located within a conservation area
• Solar panels are not installed to listed buildings

Solar panels should as far as possible be sited to minimise its effect on the external appearance of the building and the amenity of the area. They should be removed as soon as reasonably practicable when no longer needed.

Planning Permission: Solar equipment mounted on a house or a block of flats or on a building within the curtilage - Solar panels - Planning Portal

Planning permission may also be required if the site is subject to an article 4 direction restricting permitted development rights for development of this nature. Article 4 directions in effect in the borough can be found here Article 4 Directions.

You don't need planning permissions if your proposal is to take down a fence, wall or gate, or to alter, maintain or improve an existing fence, wall or gate (no matter how high) if you don't increase its height.

If you want to put up a new boundary wall, fence, railings or gate that is over one metre high and it is next to a highway used by vehicles (or the footpath of such a highway); or over two metres high elsewhere you will need planning permission. This applies to houses in and outside of conservation areas. You'll also need to check if your property is subject to an Article 4 direction before changing.

You will need planning permission to install flues, pipes and chimneys in a flat or maisonette.

A proposal to install flues, pipes and chimneys in a house might be permitted development if the proposal is not 1m higher than the higher part of the roof. See further information on the Planning Portal in relation to flues and chimneys.

If the house is covered by an Article 4 or is located in a conservation area, and the proposal affects the side or front elevation of the house, it is likely that you will require planning permission.

Check if your property is subject to an Article 4 direction

In the case of a flat or maisonette you will need to apply for a full planning permission to create a hardstanding surface.

In the case of a single house, you will require planning permission if:

• the proposal exceeds 5m²
• the hard surface will be made of non-porous materials
• no provision will be made to direct run-off water to a permeable or porous area within the land around the original house.

Generally, you don't need planning permission to prune or remove a tree unless it is located in a conservation area in which case you will need to give six weeks' notice to the council about the proposed works to the tree.

This applies to trees with a trunk diameter of 75mm or more. Further information can be found on our trees page.

Some trees are protected and will require planning permission to prune or remove. These are known as Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) and you can find more from our urban design and conservation team. See more information about trees and TPOs.

Some trees may be required to be retained by a condition on an implemented planning permission at the property, including as part of an approved landscaping scheme. These would be detailed on applicable decision notices. Check the planning register for previous decisions.

You will require planning permission for the crossover if building it involves creating an access on to a classified (main) road or demolishing a boundary wall more than one metre high in a conservation area.

If there are no external changes, planning permission is not needed for any internal changes to your loft, regardless of whether it's a house or a flat, unless the property is a listed building.

Generally, loft conversions that involve minor alterations such as re-roofing and the installation of rooflight windows do not require planning permission and are permitted development subject to the requirements set out in Class C of the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO). See roof planning information provided on the Planning Portal.

Enlargements to the roof of a house involving an extension or alterations will normally require planning permission except in certain specific circumstances involving small extensions which may fall within permitted development allowed under Class B and Class AA of the GPDO . See roof planning information included on the Planning Portal.

Under Policy T4 of the Local Plan, if a site has a PTAL (Public Transport Accessibility Level, link TFL) rating of 3 or higher, we look to restrict the issuing of on-street parking permits to mitigate against parking stress and air quality issues. If you live within a property where such conditions apply, you would need to submit an application to vary the relevant conditions. We would then assess the acceptability of this with regard to site specific parking conditions.

Converting a single-family home into a small-scale HMO of between 3-6 unrelated individuals who share kitchen/living room/ garden/ bathroom facilities) may not require planning permission.

An HMO with 7 or more individuals (a large-scale HMO) falls within a Sui Generis use and therefore requires a planning application.

Building an additional storey on to your house is considered to be permitted development (not requiring planning permission) subject to the following limits and conditions, and an application for the Local Authority's prior approval.

If these limits and conditions are not met, then an application for Householder/Full Planning Permission will be required.

See further information on the Planning Portal which explains the limits and conditions for adding an additional storey/extending upwards

Conditions and prior approval requirements

As with existing permitted development rights, the developer must apply to us for prior approval of certain aspects of the proposed development. These include the impact of the amenity of any adjoining premises (including overlooking, privacy and the loss of light), the external appearance (including the design and architectural features of the principal and side elevation), and air traffic and defence asset impacts. A report detailing the management of the construction must also be provided to us.

You will not need planning permission to demolish and rebuild vacant and redundant commercial or residential buildings if they are re-built as homes. Instead a simplified application is required through the prior approval process.

Limitations and exclusions

If a development is to make use of the new PD right, the old building must:

• have a footprint of no larger than 1,000m² and be no higher than 18m; have been built before 1990; not be within a conservation area, national park, area of outstanding natural beauty or a site of special scientific interest; and have been vacant for at least 6 months before the date of the application for prior approval.
• A report for the management and construction of the development must also be provided to the Council before beginning the development. This is to include the method of demolition, proposed hours of operation and how any adverse impact of noise, dust, vibration and traffic is to be mitigated. The position and dimensions of windows, doors and walls and the dimensions of each room must also be submitted to the Council.
• The right provides consent for works for the construction of a new building that can be up to two storeys higher than the old building with a maximum overall height of 18 metres. The demolition and subsequent construction must be completed within three years of the date of the grant of prior approval.

Conditions and prior approval requirements

The developer must apply for a prior approval of certain aspects of the proposed development. These include transport and highways impacts, contamination and flooding risks, the design and external appearance, the provision of natural light and impact of noise, business and local amenity.

Retrofitting your home will help cut carbon emissions and is a major way you can act on the climate emergency.

Find out about planning perrmission and fitting air source heat pumps, solar panels and other ways to make your home more energy efficient.

Climate change and planning

Please note the use classes were updated in September 2020.

If your proposal doesn't involve a change of use, you won't need to apply for planning permission.

Detailed information can be found on the Planning Portal about use classes.

Some changes of use do not require planning permission. The Planning Portal has a full list of changes of use, both permanent and temporary.

If you would like to have a confirmation that the change of use is permitted without planning permission, you can apply for a Lawfulness Development Certificate.

If your proposal is for a change of use that is not permitted development, you will need to apply for full planning permission.

Even if the change if use is permitted, the external changes related to the change of use will need planning permission.

Yes, this is a material change of use and it involves a change from A3 to A5 use. If you would like to apply to make a change of use, you will need to make a planning application.

Generally you will need to apply for advertisement consent. There are cases where you have 'deemed consent', but your advertising must:

• only refer to the business name, goods sold or services provided, or the name or qualification of the person conducting the business
• not be displayed in a conservation area
• not be displayed on shop walls unless they contain a shop window
• consist of no more than one parallel sign and one projecting sign
• not project over a carriageway
• have characters (not background) that are internally or halo illuminated
• have static illumination have luminance within our regulations
• have projecting signs no more than 0.75m2 with a maximum height of 1m
• project no more than 1m (or two-thirds the width of the footway)
• have fascia signs projecting no more than 0.25m from walls make up no more than one-sixth of the frontage up to 4.6m in height (or one-fifth of the frontage up to the top of the sign, if less)
• have symbol height of no more than 0.75m
• be no less than 2.5m above ground, and no more than 4.6m (or the bottom of the first floor windowsill, if lower)
• no more than a 0.25m gap between the two faces of a projecting sign.

For more specific information you can check the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007.

You will generally need to apply for a full planning application to install a new awning and canopy. If your proposal is to replace an existing awning or canopy the replacement needs to be like-for-like, or it will require planning permission.

You will need a highways permit to install tables and chairs, either on a public or private area.

Find more information on tables and chairs highway permits

Planning permission will be required if the tables and chairs will be in the public highway or a on privately maintained highway such as a forecourt which forms part of the highway and can be walked across by the public.

Make a planning application

You will need to apply for full planning permission to install, change or replace a CCTV camera if:

its dimensions will be greater than 75cm x 25cm x 25cm (including its housing)

• it will be positioned less than 2.5m from the ground
• it will protrude more than 1m from the wall
• it will be in contact with the surface of the property at a point more than 1m from any other point of contact
• it will be less than 10m from another camera on the property
• more than four cameras will be attached to the same side of the property in total
• more than 16 cameras will be attached to the whole property in total.

Generally you will need to apply for advertisement consent for an A Board on the public highway and you will need to apply separately for an Advertising Board Licence from the Highways Licensing Team.

The minimum document requirements for a planning application are:

1. Site Location Plan (Scale 1:1250) - This is a plan which shows the application site, which is essentially the area in which the advert would be located. This should be a plan at a scale of 1:1250 with the area of pavement to the front of the premises in which the A board will be located outlined in red. The premises should then be outlined in blue to show that it is land within your ownership but is not where the advert will be placed.

2. Block Plan (Scale 1:100 or 1:200) - This is a more detailed top down plan showing the exact proposed location of the A board on the pavement. This should show the red line area of the pavement and where the A board would be positioned in this area.

3. Proposed Elevations (Scale 1:50 or 1:20) - This would be a scale image of the front, back and side of the A-board so that the size and what it will look like are clear. You may also want to provide a photo to support this.

4. The statutory fee of £588.00

A good example of the plans required in the submission of such an application can be viewed by carrying out a planning search on the council website using planning application reference 2025/01074/ADV

Even if your development has planning permission, or even if it does not require planning permission, you may still need building regulations consent.

For more information contact Building control on 020 8753 2448.

If you have any questions about highways, see Transport and roads.

If you want to know about our car parking standards for new development, you will find this in the Local Plan.

If you want to know about car parks and controlled parking zones, see Parking.

Licensing falls outside of planning control. Please see Licensing.

For a new address, or any address queries, contact street naming and numbering on 020 8753 3030 or 020 8753 3083.

Find out more about street naming and numbering.