Planning Permission
(Also known as: Development control)
Planning permission covers what a building looks like, the impact it will have on the area and the rules are set and governed locally by the council’s development control team, national government guidelines and the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Contact Details:
Address: Duty Officer,
Development Control Service,
Ground Floor,
Civic Centre,
Southampton.
Postcode: SO14 7LS
Telephone: 023 8083 2603
Email: planning@southampton.gov.uk
Fax: 023 8083 2607
Details of service:
General principles about planning permission
In the most general terms, if you are materially altering the outside (appearance) of a building, planning a new building or changing the use of an existing building from say a home to a shop, you will need to submit plans for approval to the council’s Development Control team.
However, some alterations do not require permission and can be completed under the 'permitted development' regulations. These regulations allow the building of small conservatories and single storey extensions for instance provided they are not outside of certain size limitations. Please note that even if you don't require planning permission, you will need to contact the council's Building Control section on Southampton (023) 8083 2558. More information on this can be found on our Permitted development page. The government have confirmed that these rules are changing on the 1st of October 2008 and this information will be available as soon as we have it. There will be significant changes to the General Permitted Development Order and in some cases where permission was not required, from that date it will be, and vise verse.
Before beginning any work, you should talk to the duty Planning Officer or call our main telephone number, Southampton (023) 8083 2603 for further advice.
There is a fee charged for the process of obtaining planning permission but we do offer free information and advice on how to go about it and can look at your application before you submit it. Please see our 'Planning Advice' page for more details.
For an interactive look at what needs approval visit the planning portal external link, see link on right hand side.
For all matters relating to Heritage Conservation - Listed Buildings, buildings in Conservation Areas, archaeology and Scheduled Monuments - follow the internal links on the right of this page.
Please click the logo to take you to the main 1App download page.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING A MAJOR CHANGE IN APPLYING FOR PLANNING PERMISSION
Communities and Local Government is launching a standard planning application form in England.
The Standard Planning Application Form (1APP) will replace all existing types of planning application forms (except minerals) within England. This represents the biggest change to the planning system in recent years and a significant step forward in simplifying the planning system.
Currently Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) each produce their own planning application forms. The forms can differ dramatically – an inconsistency in the planning process which often leads to confusion.
1APP will end these discrepancies by ensuring the same information will be requested by every LPA in England.
This will make the planning system clearer for planning professionals and citizens alike and should result in major efficiency savings for LPAs.
The standard planning application form will be available online via the Planning Portal as well as in a paper format from LPAs.
View further details of the benefits of 1APP and to take part in the consultation process please follow this link.
Timescales
The roll-out of 1APP and the consultation on local requirements has commenced and will end on the 29th of March 2008 when the standard application form will become the only legal way of submitting a planning application within England (except for minerals). Applications received after this date on the old type forms will not be validated and returned to the applicant.
Further more, any application that is invalid before the 6th of April 2008, if not returned before that date and subsequently validated before that date will be returned to the applicant if the application forms do not comply to the 1App specification.
Further information is available form the Planning Portal, link below.
Related FAQ's:
Major Planning Applications
Current major planning applications
Permitted Development
What is Permitted Development?
Permitted development describes building works that do not need planning permission. Some permitted development rights may have been restricted or taken away by conditions attached to the original permission. This could be to safeguard the appearance of an area or protect neighbours from extensions where there is limited garden space. This page will explain what you need to do and where you get further help.
1App
1App Application Form Download Page
Highways Development Control
Highways Developement Contol
The following information is of a technical nature and may be difficult to understand for some people. If you do find the information hard to follow, please call the planning help line on 023 8083 3952 or email the planning inbox with your question: planning@southampton.gov.uk
Planning Portal
Make an online planning application
Planning applications can be made and paid for online through the Planning Portal, which also contains information and guidance about planning topics. Please be aware that there is a 5 MB limit to file sizes of submitted plans, maps etc.
Building and Planning
Service Bulletin:
There are no service bulletins at the moment
Building and planning teams look after Southampton’s built environment and consist of several departments linked together. They manage the whole process from developing the Local Plan all the way through to ensuring historic buildings are preserved for future generations. It also deals with climate change and conservation issues, listed buildings and archaeology
Viewing and commenting on Planning Applications
Public Access online planning application web site.
Search the database and comment on planning applications by application number or address.
PLEASE NOTE: Not all applications have associated documents, e.g. plans available. Only those applications from approximately December 2007 may be available. There are plans to increase this availability to all applications when time and resources allow.
There is a serious error showing all associated documents. If you experience these errors please try again later as we working with our software suppliers to resolve this issue.
In the meantime you can visit Gateway at the Civic Centre between 8.30am to 5.30pm (7.30pm 0n Thursdays) to view copies of current applications.
Electronic plan submission
Submitting your building plans for planning permission or building regulations approval to Southampton City Council could not be easier. By submitting plans online you save time, you can track your application’s progress, it will save you money and you can complete applications 24-7. We've provided a step by step guide on where to go, what information to provide and what happens next.
Planning reception at Gateway
All enquiries for development control can be made through the Gateway reception located on the ground floor of the Civic Centre.
Submitting plans for planning permission
The following information and documents are of a technical nature and may be difficult to understand for some people. The planning office telephone line is available if you do require extra help.
Also, some files are likely to be large because of their content. The files may take a few minutes to download and it is reccommended that you have a broadband internet connection (modem). Please check with your provider if you are unsure about the speed of your connection.
Planning Enforcement
Planning Enforcement is a team of people who make sure that the planning laws are not broken and nothing is built unless the necessary permission is given.
Last updated: 1 October 2008
