How Long Does Planning Permission Last?

If you have planning approval for an extension or other project, or if you have bought a plot of land that has planning permission to build upon it such a new house you probably have a couple of questions on your mind.

You may be thinking one of the following: how long does planning permission last? Is there anything that can be done to stop planning permission from expiring before you are ready to start your project? If your planning permission has run out, have you got to start the whole process again?

Rest assured we get asked these questions all the time and, in this article, we’re going to do what we do best, take the complexity out of these questions and provide simple answers.

How Long Does My Planning Permission Last?

Usually, unless otherwise stated and provided that the plot of land has nothing unusual about it, full planning permission is valid for three years from the date that the local authority granted planning permission.

Alternatively, you may have gained outline planning permission, if this is the case you have three years to seek planning permission for the reserved matters.

There are occasions where this is not the case; however, they are rare and should be clearly stated on your approval letter.

We know what your next question might be…

What Type of Planning Permission Do I Have?

If you were involved in the application you should know which type of permission you have, however if the site or building was bought with planning permission attached to it you may not. We can assist in finding out in any case with a simple planning search.

As suggested in the name, full planning permission covers everything needed from the local authorities’ point of view. Once you have made sure that all conditions have been met or discharged (as outlined within the local authority’s approval letter) and provided all other procedures are in place, you are ready to commence construction work on site.

Outline planning permission is usually attached to larger projects, it covers an approval for the broad idea of a scheme and later a secondary application can be made that covers the finer details or reserved matters.

In both instances you have three years to act on your planning permission to keep it from expiring, but there are actions that can keep it alive.

You may now be thinking…

How Do I Keep My Planning Permission Live?

Before 1968 planning permission had no expiry, once granted you had infinite time to start and complete the work. This led to a large portion of planning permissions failing to be built and there was not an incentive to take swift action. In 1968 the government brought in a five-year time limit for planning permission, this was then reduced to the current three years in 2009.

The idea behind the change in legislation was to increase the likelihood that if you have planning permission you acted upon it. In the case of full planning permission, you have three years from the date stated on the local authority approval letter to commence the construction work and thus keep it live.

GBS Architectural provides bespoke Architectural Design Services in London. It includes detailed drawings, proper planning, consulting and project management services.