Today planning permission for house building is much easier to obtain thanks to the government’s recent decision to free up brown belt land for this very purpose. Local authorities need developers to build new housing since there’s such an under-supply of homes for rent and purchase throughout the UK. You don’t even have to own the land.
However, it can still be a very complicated process with no hard and fast rules since planning regulations differ between authorities. They are subject to individual planner’s interpretations and the political whims of an elected body (the Council’s Planning Committee).
A planning application should take around eight weeks to go through the process. If refused, it can be resubmitted with the required amendments. It’s worth checking with that particular council’s Local Plan first to ensure the proposal abides by these guidelines i.e. where it’s permissible for new housing to be erected. The Plan will also show areas where Outline Planning Permission has already been granted. Supplementary planning guidance will outline the type of housing design preferred.
Once planning permission has been obtained, building must begin within a specific period (around three years).
