Planning permission and building regulations approval answer different questions. A home extension can need both. A project that qualifies as permitted development can still need building control, and a building control decision does not establish that the planning position is lawful. The government's building regulations overview makes that separation explicit.
This guide covers ordinary home projects in England. Use it to organise your approvals and professional appointments, rather than as a technical specification for construction. Other UK jurisdictions have their own requirements.
What does each process decide?
| Question | Planning route | Building regulations route |
|---|---|---|
| What are you establishing? | Whether the development is permitted, including its use, scale, appearance and relevant effects | Whether the design and building work meet applicable building requirements |
| Where do you start? | The local planning authority, current policies and any applicable permitted development right | The appropriate building control body and the requirements for the proposed work |
| What information helps? | An accurate description, site and proposal drawings, and relevant supporting evidence | Coordinated technical design and specifications, with calculations and other evidence where needed |
| What should you retain? | The decision or certificate, drawings it identifies, and relevant conditions | The application record, agreed information, inspection records and applicable completion or compliance certificates |
The planning question depends on the actual development. Some work falls outside the planning definition of development; other work benefits from a permission granted by legislation. Some permitted development rights require prior approval. Read the government's explanation of when permission is required and our permitted development guide before choosing an application.
A lawful development certificate addresses the planning lawfulness of the use or operations it describes. It is not a building regulations certificate.
Why planning drawings may need further design work
A drawing set can explain the size and appearance of a proposal without resolving its construction. For example, a floor plan showing a large opening does not, by itself, specify the structural design of the support above it.
The government's Approved Documents give guidance on ways to meet building regulations. They cover topics including structure, fire safety, moisture, ventilation, drainage, energy and access. The relevant requirements depend on the work; a short planning description cannot settle them all.
Ask your designer what their appointment includes. Identify who provides technical details, who checks how specialist designs fit together, and what the contractor will receive. Keep the planning and technical drawings coordinated so that later changes are checked against both processes.
Worked example: a rear extension with a large opening
Hypothetical project: an owner wants a rear extension and an opening between it and the existing kitchen. The proposed plans show the external dimensions, roof and windows.
First, establish the planning route for the whole proposal. If it meets the relevant permitted development tests, record the evidence and consider a proposed lawful development certificate. If an application or prior approval is required, complete that route and check its conditions.
Separately, agree the building control route. The design team needs to resolve the structure around the opening and the applicable construction requirements. If technical design changes the roof height or the window arrangement, review the planning implications before treating the revised design as ready to build.
The useful handover is one consistent set of information with outstanding decisions clearly identified. A planning approval letter alone does not supply the missing construction design.
Who handles building control?
For work that is not on the higher-risk building route, you can generally choose the local authority or a private registered building control approver in England. The official application guidance explains that a registered approver gives the local authority an initial notice.
Higher-risk building work has a separate process through the Building Safety Regulator. If your project involves such a building, check the BSR guidance and relevant exceptions before using an ordinary house-project sequence. Where BSR approval is required, it must be obtained before the relevant work starts. Do not assume an alteration inside a flat follows the same route as an extension to a house.
Full plans, building notice and self-certification
For the local authority route, distinguish a full-plans application from a building notice. Full plans allows the submitted design to be checked. A building notice is available for certain smaller projects and does not provide the same formal plans approval. Ask the building control body which route is available and what notices and information it requires before work starts.
For eligible work, an installer registered with the appropriate competent person scheme can self-certify the work covered by that scheme. Check the registration and obtain the compliance certificate. A window installer's scheme membership does not turn the rest of an extension into self-certified work.
Some work is exempt or outside the approval requirement. Check the official exemptions guidance for the particular work. An exemption from applying for approval is not a reason to ignore applicable safety or energy standards.
Agree responsibilities before construction
The Building Safety Regulator's dutyholder guidance has a specific section for domestic clients. It requires time and resources, cooperation, appointments and sharing relevant building information. It also explains who takes the principal designer and principal contractor roles where a domestic client has not appointed them.
Record who is responsible for design coordination, construction, communication with building control and arranging inspections. Ask each person to confirm the role and scope they accept. Building regulations duties and construction health-and-safety duties are distinct, even where the same people perform both roles.
Keep separate allowances for planning application charges, building control fees, design work and specialist evidence. Our planning cost guide covers the planning side; building control fees depend on the work and provider. Check the scope of our drawing services before assuming technical design is included in a planning-stage appointment.
Keep the other permissions visible
Neither process settles ownership or every other consent. Listed building consent may be relevant even when a planning application is not needed. Party wall procedures are also separate from planning and building control.
Use a project record with one row for each applicable process: responsible person, required information, current status, conditions or next action, and evidence received. Keep completion and compliance documents with the property records. If work has already happened without the required approval, obtain advice on that specific situation; planning and building control have different retrospective routes.
Start a property planning check to explore the planning questions, then confirm building control and other requirements with the appropriate bodies.
Sources and review
The linked GOV.UK and Building Safety Regulator guidance was checked on 8 September 2026 with AI assistance. This page explains the separation and coordination of processes. It does not certify a design, determine an exemption for a particular property or provide professional building-control sign-off.