What is Town Planning?

In a very real sense, town planning shapes the places where you live, work, learn, shop, play and how you get to and from them, both now and in the future. Town planners and the Local Planning Authorities they work for, guide and regulate new building and other development in two ways:

By producing Development Plans - now called Local Development Frameworks, to guide future new development and changes in land use.

Through the Development Control process which leads to planning permission either being granted or refused for new development.

Development Plans

Development Plans are both local such as the new Local Development Framework, and regional such as the London Plan. They may well cover a 10 - 15 year vision for your neighbourhood, Borough and the Thames Gateway as a whole. They conventionally include policies on topics such as future housing, employment, transport, environment, leisure and recreation, community facilities etc. Click here for links to all London Boroughs planning documents.

The new Local Development Framework (LDF) will supersede the Unitary Development Plan (UDP). The LDF comprises a compendium of documents, some statutory, some non statutory or supplementary guidance. Critical Documents in the LDF include the Statement of Community Involvement and the Core Strategy. For more detailed information, click here. Each London Borough will be at different stages in the submission and approval of their Local Development Framework and these will need to be read in conjunction with the adopted UDP.

Development Control

Most forms of development such as construction of a building or change of use of a building or land, require planning permission. To get planning permission you must put in a planning application to your local Planning Authority. In London, this is usually the Borough Council, though in certain parts of the Thames Gateway, for major development proposals, this will be the Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

All local planning authorities are required to notify neighbours about planning applications. This can be done either by a notice pinned up on or near the site or by a letter to immediate neighbours, and in addition for larger applications, by an advert in the local press. This notification gives neighbours and other third parties 21 days to submit comments on the application to the Council. The local planning authority is also legally required to keep a Planning Register, which lists all the planning applications received and formally registered the Council. This can normally be found in the Reception of the Planning department of your local Council and on the Planning pages of the Councils website. Click here for links to all London Boroughs. On many Council websites, you can download a large amount of information about each planning application, including the plans/drawings and the Committee report.

Applications may be approved subject to conditions or they may be refused. These decisions may be taken by the Planning Officer or, with more controversial proposals, by the Planning Committee which is made up of Councillors. The Council must give reason(s) for their decision and use policies from the Council development plan to support this. If permission is refused, then the applicant can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate who will redecide the application. There is no right of appeal for third parties, such as neighbours.

If you have any further questions about planning or wish to make an online application, we strongly recommend that you visit the Planning Portal. This is a government website offering a wide range of guidance and help in regard to the planning system.