Planning Permission

After choosing your site, and receiving your completed drawings of your proposed home, the next stage is to apply for planning permission to the Planning Authority in your county, or to the Urban District Council, or in the case of cities, to the City Borough Corporation.
There are three types of planning application which can be made, i.e. outline, approval consequent to outline and full permission, and these are outline below.

OUTLINE PERMISSION
In some cases, persons may wish to ascertain whether or not planning permission would be granted for a particular development/site. On the advice of your architect, it may be prudent to apply for outline permission to determine whether or not your development would be permitted. Outline permission allows you to make an application without going to the expense of preparing house plans, and allows you to test the water as it were without having to make an application for full application going to the time and expense of preparing detailed design drawings.

An outline permission must be accompanied by:-
a) A complete application form
b) A relevant fee
c) 6 No copies of proposed site layout and location maps, showing location of proposed development on the site, sight lines at entrance, any surrounding buildings, wells septic tanks , services etc, and usually giving brief description of the design you would like..
d) Percolation test results in the form accepted by your local authority.
e) 2 copies of notice of application to Planning Authority inserted in local newspaper and 2 no. copies site notice.

Note: Grant of outline permission does not permit carrying out of any works.

APPROVAL CONSEQUENT
This can only be sought where outline permission as described above, has already been granted, and must be accompanied by complete design drawings and outline specification, of the proposed dwelling, together with all documents as listed for outline permission. It is very important to remember that your application for permission consequent to outline must follow the general lines of the original outline. One could not for instance change the boundaries of the site, alter the proposed location of the dwelling greatly or substitute a two storey dwelling if it were a bungalow or dormer that were mentioned at outline application stage.

FULL PERMISSION
Full permission is a combination of outline and approval as previously described and is a more direct and speedier method for sites where it is considered that planning permission may be more readily attainable.
Details of documents required for planning applications, as follows:-
a) Complete application form, completed accurately, stating all details as requested.
b) Completed application fee form, with remittance
c) 6 no. copies of all drawings including, plans, elevations, sections, site maps, site sections, location maps and 2 no. copies of newspaper notice, site notice and letter from group water scheme if applicable.
d) Local Needs Form showing your housing need and eligibility.(applicable to some Counties)
e) A Soil Suitability/Permeability Test. Applicable where on site percolation is being used.
f) Any other information considered relevant to your application.

GENERAL PROCEDURE
The Planning Authority validation section will initially inspect the application to ensure everything is in order, and that a valid application has been submitted. Following this they will issue a receipt and reference number to you or your agent. A period of 5 weeks from the date of receipt of the application will then follow during which the public will have an opportunity to comment on the application. A planning officer will usually be assigned to the application and he or she will adjudicate on it taking a number of issues into account. The most significant of these will be the County or local area development plan. He will also take on board local opinion, objections etc, but should not necessarily be swayed by them. Once the planning officer has had an opportunity to form an opinion on the application he/she can proceed with one of three options. He may decide to grant the permission usually with conditions, he may decide to refuse the permission stating the reasons, or he may request further information if he feels it is required or justified to enable a decision to be reached. Under normal circumstances an applicant has 6 months in which to reply to a request for further information. Following the planning authority’s receipt of this information and assuming it includes all the items requested, the planning authority then has a further 4 weeks in which to make its decision. In certain circumstances they can ask for the information supplied to be clarified but this is rare enough in domestic applications. Once a notice of a decision to grant permission is received, it is then 4 weeks before the final grant of permission is given. During this 4 week period any persons who made a valid observation on your application by paying the appropriate fee can appeal to an bord pleanala against the decision. The Bord is currently taking anything from 6 months to a year to determine appeals.

PUBLIC NOTICE
This is done by means of notification in a locally distributed newspaper and also with a notice on site. The notice must follow strict rules regarding content and should be placed in a prominent position on the site so as to be legible from main thoroughfare. The site notice must remain in place for a period of 5 weeks from the date of receipt of a valid application by the Local authority.. 1 no copy of the newspaper notice which should be the full page from the paper on which the notice was displayed along with a photocopy of same and two copies of the site notice should be submitted with application for planning.

SITE LAYOUT MAPS
6 copies of the site layout maps, clearly showing the boundaries of the site, site entrance, storm and foul drainage details, water supply etc. should be submitted. The site layout should also indicate any surrounding buildings, wells, septic tanks, trees etc. A letter of consent from any group schemes in relation to water supply or landowners in relation to right-of ways must accompany the application. Proven site lines are also required to be shown on the map.

SITE LOCATION MAPS
6 no. site location maps, being extracts from Ordnance Survey Sheets, and showing clearly the location of site and adjoining developments in relation to any churches, crossroads, towns or any other distinct landmark in the area. Outline of site to be marked in red and overall landowners holding outlined in blue.

HOUSE PLANS
6 no. copies of detailed drawings and specifications, clearly illustrating plans, elevations, sections, details of finishes, and all materials to be used in the construction.

PERCOLATION TESTS
Most Local Authorities now require a full EPA site suitability test where on site effluent disposal is proposed. This test must generally be carried out by a suitably qualifed person. Many authorities have a panel of approved firms from which the applicant must choose.

OBJECTIONS
Objections to an application can be made in writing as follows:-
a) By the applicant to the An Bord Pleanala in relation to it’s decision to refuse, or to object to some of the conditions relevant to the Grant of Permission. The applicant has four weeks from the date of receipt of a decision, within which to object.
b) Objections can be lodged by a third party against a planning application subject to previous submission of observations being made to planning authority within the first 5 weeks of the application. Or alternatively by adjoining landowner/occupier who has been granted leave to appeal by the board.

This information is a simple guide. It is advisable to contact your local Planning Office who will be glad to assist you with full relevant information concerning your application. Most Local Authorities have adopted Development Plans for their Counties.
These documents should ascertain whether or not a Planning Application relating to your circumstances should succeed.

Planning Permission - Northern Ireland
The planning system guidelines in Northern Ireland are quite detailed and any attempt to prepare a brief synopsis would run the risk of misinforming or misleading clients.
For full details go to www.planningni.gov.uk or contact your architect or agent.
HMG Architects would be happy to assist you with your planning application or answer any queries you may have.