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Most new development requires planning permission. Each application for planning permission is considered carefully and most applications are approved. There are pressures for change and new development is needed if modern facilities for shopping, leisure and businesses are to be provided. Allowing these developments has to be balanced against the need to protect our towns, villages and countryside. This protection ranges from preserving historic buildings and streets, preventing increased problems of noise, pollution and traffic congestion, or minimising the loss of scenic landscapes.
New buildings, major alterations and enlargements of existing buildings, and changes in the use of buildings and land are all considered to be 'Development' and therefore, normally need planning permission. Early on, when you are thinking of development, you should always ask the Planning and Environment Services Division whether planning permission is needed. This is better than doing the work without permission and possibly having to remove it later.
This is not a full statement of the laws governing permitted development so you would always be advised to check with the Planning and Environment Services Division before beginning work. You should also check whether any other form of approval is likely to be required, for example, a building warrant.
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