How to apply for planning permission for a Basement Extension & Conversion

It doesn’t matter whether you need planning permission, prior approval or a lawful development certificate the process and time frames for all applications are fundamentally the same.

All applications require a variety of supporting evidence in order to justify why it should be approved. They also need architectural drawings, maps, block plans and of course the correct application to be submitted.

When a planning application of any kind is submitted the planning authority first needs to validate it which can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Once it has been validated, they have 8 weeks to process the application and reach a decision. It is however common for planning authorities to require additional information or minor design alterations which can delay the process further.

It is always recommended that you allow as much time as possible to receive the decision. Unfortunately, we regularly deal with clients who have builders or contractors booked in with no hope of getting planning approval in time, which can be very stressful. As a minimum we recommend allowing 3 months and ideally as much time as possible up to 12 months ahead. Once planning is approved you generally have 3 years to start work and 5 years to complete the work.

In theory anyone can submit an application however, other than industry professionals those who try to do it themselves are often rejected unnecessarily due to missing information or mistakes. Even architects are generally only qualified in design but not planning so, while they can draw anything the client wants it may not meet necessary planning criteria. In fact, lots of clients come to us having been rejected with an architect because the application did not meet the necessary planning criteria.

At Studio Charrette, we have a team of inhouse architects and planners who work together on every application. This ensures the design meets both our client’s expectation and also the expectations of the planning authority, to give every application the best chance of success.

Get in touch!