What Happens After Planning Permission Is Granted?

Every planning permission comes with conditions attached. These are listed in your decision notice — the formal letter from the local planning authority (LPA) confirming approval.

Read every condition carefully. Some are informational; others are pre-commencement conditions that must be formally discharged (approved by the LPA) before any work starts. Ignoring them means you are building without lawful permission even though the headline approval exists.

The decision notice will also state the time limit — typically 3 years from the decision date — within which you must start work. Missing this deadline means the permission lapses entirely.

Pre-commencement conditions require a formal discharge of conditions application to the LPA before any work begins. This is a separate application from the original planning application.

The fee is £145 per application (England, April 2025 rates). You can include multiple conditions in a single application, making it cost-effective to batch them. The LPA has 8 weeks to decide whether the submitted information satisfies the condition.

Common pre-commencement conditions include: drainage strategy approval, ecological survey sign-off, materials sample approval, and archaeological watching brief requirements.

Pre-occupation conditions follow a different timeline — they must be discharged before the building is occupied or first used, rather than before work starts. Examples include landscaping schemes and parking provision.

Planning permission lapses if it is not implemented within the time limit (usually 3 years from the decision date). To preserve the permission, you must make a material start — work that meaningfully implements the permission.

What counts as a material start: excavating foundations, laying drainage, structural excavation. What does not count: site clearance, tree removal, or delivering materials.

Note that planning law does not require a separate commencement notice to the LPA (unlike building regulations). However, some planning conditions may require you to notify the LPA before work starts — check your decision notice carefully.

If you are approaching the 3-year limit and not yet ready to build, even a minimal material start can preserve the permission. Photograph and date the work for evidence.

Planning permission and building regulations are entirely separate legal frameworks. Having planning permission does not mean you have building regulations approval.

Most structural work — extensions, loft conversions, new buildings, structural alterations — requires building regulations approval. There are two routes:

• Full Plans: you submit detailed drawings for approval before work starts. Slower to get started but gives you certainty. An inspector visits at key stages.
• Building Notice: work can start within 48 hours of submitting the notice, but there are no drawings approved in advance. Riskier — the inspector can require changes or remediation if work does not comply.

Building control inspectors visit at key stages: commencement, foundations, damp-proof course, structural work, insulation, drainage, and finally a completion inspection.

Once all building work is complete, you request a final inspection from your building control body (local authority or approved inspector). The inspector checks that all relevant Approved Document requirements are met — structure, fire safety, energy efficiency, ventilation, electrics and more.

If satisfied, the building control body issues a completion certificate. This is the official document confirming the work complies with building regulations. It is essential when selling the property — solicitors will ask for it, and its absence triggers buyer queries and potential price reductions.

Planning completion is separate. Some LPAs issue a planning compliance letter confirming that any remaining planning conditions have been discharged. For major projects, both the building regulations completion certificate and a planning compliance letter may be needed.