The seven grounds of appeal against an enforcement notice

If you have received a planning enforcement notice, you have the right to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate under section 174 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Enforcement appeals follow a particular format. You cannot simply write in to the inspectorate to say that the council has been unfair, that your neighbour has […]

What is a Planning Contravention Notice?

If your council suspects that something has been built or changed at your property without planning permission, they have a number of tools available to them. One of the first formal steps they may take is to serve a Planning Contravention Notice — commonly known as a PCN. What it is A PCN is not […]

HMO Article 4 directions explained

HMO Article 4 directions explained Many landlords first come across Article 4 directions when they are told that planning permission is required for a HMO, even though they understand that changes of use are normally permitted development. This can come as a surprise. In some cases, landlords only discover that an Article 4 direction applies […]

Planning permission for HMOs

Planning permission for HMOs Many landlords assume that converting a house into a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) is straightforward. Sometimes it is. But in many areas planning permission is now required, and councils often resist new HMOs. That does not necessarily mean permission cannot be obtained. In practice, a significant number of HMO refusals […]

HMO planning appeals in Northampton

HMO planning appeals in Northampton West Northamptonshire Council has introduced an Article 4 direction across much of Northampton removing permitted development rights for the conversion of houses into smaller houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Normally, converting a house into a small HMO (Use Class C4) can be carried out without planning permission. The Article 4 […]

What do the planners mean by ‘overdevelopment’

What does ‘overdevelopment’ actually mean? “Overdevelopment” is one of the most frequently used phrases in refusal notices. It sounds technical. It sounds weighty. It sounds as though it must be grounded in some clear policy test. But it is not. There is no standalone planning policy which says development must not be “overdevelopment”. It is […]

Larger Home Extensions: why councils refuse them – and why you should appeal

In 2013, the government quietly did something extraordinary. It doubled the permitted depth of single-storey rear extensions under Class A permitted development rights. Instead of the traditional three metres, homeowners were suddenly allowed to build six metres on a terraced or semi-detached house, and eight metres on a detached house. For most councils, this felt […]

Certificates of lawfulness (lawful development certificates)

What is a certificate of lawfulness? A certificate of lawfulness (also known as a Lawful Development Certificate or LDC) is a legal document issued by a council confirming that something is lawful for planning purposes. It does not grant planning permission. Instead, it confirms that planning permission is not required. Once issued, a certificate is […]

Why planning applications for extensions are often refused in Hillingdon

Homeowners in Hillingdon are often taken by surprise when their application for an extension is suddenly refused. They thought their proposal to be small in size and similar to other extensions along the street, and had confidently assumed it would sail through. Yet refusals are common. This is not always because an extension is unacceptable […]

We won three planning appeals in Croydon in the last two weeks

Just Planning is an appeal specialist and submits planning appeals all over England and Wales. In recent months, however, we have been especially busy in the London Borough of Croydon, which seems to be refusing more applications and making some questionable decisions. We won an appeal for a client on Ambleside Gardens who had applied […]