Planning permission
What needs permission, what is permitted development, how long a decision takes, and what to do about a refusal.
ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES IN NORTH LONDON0203 151 1224 | INFO@SIMPLICITY-DESIGNS.CO.UK
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Guides, and where the rules come from.
Every guide below is written in plain English by our own team, and every rule is linked to its source — the legislation, the government guidance or the governing body behind it. If you would rather just ask, our planning assistant answers questions instantly and points you to the right page.
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Listed buildings & conservation areas
When listed building consent is needed, what grade II protection means, and how heritage statements work.
Extensions & loft conversions
How far you can extend, roof types, head height, and what it costs per square metre in London.
Change of use & Class MA
Turning commercial buildings into homes, use classes, prior approval, and Article 4 directions.
HMOs & flat conversions
Licensing, minimum room sizes, fire safety and the planning route for shared houses and flats.
Structure & party walls
Calculations, steel beams, and the notices you must serve before work affects a neighbour.
Official sources & governing bodies
These are the documents and organisations we work from every day. All open in a new tab.
Planning law & national policy
- General Permitted Development Order 2015The law behind permitted development and Class MA prior approval.
- The Use Classes OrderDefines C3 dwellings, C4 small HMOs, Class E commercial and sui generis uses.
- National Planning Policy FrameworkThe government policy every council decision must take into account.
- Planning practice guidance: when is permission required?The government's own plain guidance on what needs an application.
- The London PlanThe Mayor's spatial strategy, applied alongside each borough's local plan.
Applications, appeals & official services
Heritage & conservation
- National Heritage List for EnglandCheck whether your building is listed, and at what grade.
- Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990The Act that makes listed building consent a legal requirement.
- Historic England: listed building consent guidanceHow the government's heritage adviser expects proposals to be justified.
Building regulations, HMOs & party walls
- Approved Documents (building regulations)Fire safety, sound, ventilation, energy, access and structure.
- HMO licence rulesWhen a shared house needs a licence and what standards apply.
- Housing Act 2004Licensing and minimum sleeping-room standards in law.
- Party Wall etc. Act 1996The notices and awards required before work affects a neighbour.
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info@simplicity-designs.co.uk ↗0203 151 1224Hackney, London