New buildings, major alterations or enlargement of existing buildings and changes in use of buildings and land is defined as development, and will normally require planning permission. Before any work or change in use is undertaken you are advised to contact the Planning and Development Control service for advice using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
Some house alterations, minor extensions, and telecommunication developments benefit from these rights which mean that planning permission is granted by national legislation without the need to apply to the council. However, you should always check with the council’s building control service to see whether the works you wish to undertake need to comply with the Building Regulations. Many alterations need to comply with the Building Regulations even though they do not need planning permission. Visit our ‘Do I need planning permission’ page for further information.
Planning permission is necessary for a wide range of development, including relatively minor alterations that may affect the appearance or use of buildings. To find out how planning restrictions affect the operation of your business from home, follow the link at the bottom of the page to the Planning Portal website or the Business Link website.
Advice on planning is available from many different sources; Government web sites this web site, leaflets and information available at Gateway Reception in One Guildhall Square, the Duty Planning Officer or by telephone, letter and Email. Visit out ‘Duty planning officer and pre-application advice’ page for further information.
The Planning Office is located in the Gateway one stop shop reception area, One Guildhall Square and is opposite the Civic Centre in West Marlands.
Please see the Gateway location plan that is available by clicking on the link
Opening times:
Monday, Tuesday and Friday: 8.30am -5.30pm
Wednesday: 9.30am - 5.30pm
Thursday: 8.30am - 7pm
Please note we are closed on all statutory bank holidays.
Our busiest days are Mondays or the day after a bank holiday. The lunch period, between 12 noon and 2.00pm may also be busy.
You can submit a planning application using several different methods. By post, send the application with all relevant documents and correct fee to the contact address below. If you are unsure about the documents required or the fee to pay, please call the enquiry line using the contact details at the bottom of the page.
You can go to the Planning Portal website where you can submit a planning application online including card payment and associated documentation.
In the majority of cases this will involve the submission of scaled drawings, application forms and an appropriate fee. We ask for a minimum of 3 copies if you are submitting a paper application, but only 1 copy if submitted electronically. We ask for 3 copies because we make the application available to a number of people or departments. For example we keep a copy available for the public inspection, and we may consult experts such as Highway Engineers, Water Services Providers etc.
A planning technician or duty officer is available during office hours to help you fill in the forms and check that the application is complete. If you require an appointment you can telephone the Gateway Offices. The number for appointments is 023 8083 2166.
Alternatively you can e-mail using the following address: enquiries@southampton.gov.uk and they will confirm this appointment within one working day.
If you decide to employ someone to act as your agent to deal with your application, all correspondence regarding the application will be sent to them. However, there is no legal requirement for an agent, it is simply a personal choice.
Visit our ‘Submit an application online or by post’ page for further information.
Once we have received an application, it will go through a number of processes:-
It is registered and checked to ensure it is fully and properly completed, and that it contains all documentation required, the correct fee has been paid and there is a signed completed ownership certificate.
An advertisement is placed in the local newspaper, and site notices posted in appropriate places.
Consultations that have a 21 day expiry period are carried out with various local and national bodies, the consultees vary depending on the type of application that is submitted, amenity groups, community action forums, other sections of the Council; other people affected by the application, (like occupiers of neighbouring properties).
The site will be visited by a planning officer, who will contact you if more information or amendments are considered advisable.
The application is then considered, taking into account relevant Council policies and any past history or decisions on that site for similar applications.
Finally, the application will either go to a Council Planning and Rights of Way Panel or be considered by the Chief Officer responsible for planning matters. After the Panel or Chief Officer’s decision, depending on the outcome, the applicant, or the Agent if you have employed one, will receive a copy of the application and the decision that has been made.
Visit our ‘Information on the planning application process’ page for further information.
We are currently developing our systems so that in future, you will be able to be kept informed on the progress of planning applications. In the meantime, you can check the status of planning applications through our Public Access database. To do this, please visit the page ‘View planning applications online’ by following the link at the bottom of this page.
Our Public Access online planning database provides you with the ability to view general information regarding planning applications including all supporting plans and documentation. Applications can be searched for in a number of ways including by map view. To do this, please visit the page ‘
View planning applications online’ by following the link at the bottom of this page.
The Panel that decides planning applications is called the Planning and Rights of Way Panel and meets approximately every four weeks on a Tuesday (Please contact the planning office using the details below for dates of panel meetings). Members of the public are welcome to attend.
Usually only the more complex or controversial applications are referred to the Committee. However any Councillor may request that an application is decided this way. You may therefore wish to make your views known to your Councillor as well as the Planning Department. Councillor names and addresses can be obtained from this web site. In certain circumstances members of the public are allowed to address the committee. Your views should therefore be put in writing before the meeting so they can be taken into account.
Visit our ‘Planning and rights of way panel’ pages for further information.
Applications not decided by the Planning and Rights of Way Committee are dealt with under powers delegated to the Development Control Manager (Chief Officer). This means that the manager makes the decision on many applications with help from the other planning staff. This helps to speed up the overall process.
Anybody can comment on an application and they should be made in writing and sent to the Planning Department at the address below, no later than 21 days after the application has begun the consultation process, to ensure that they will be taken into account. Please give the application reference number and site location address in the letter.
You may also leave your comments through the Public Access module following the instructions or by email planning@southampton.gov.uk quoting the application number. Please ensure that you let us know your name and address as we will only respond to you through the Royal Mail.
We can only consider planning matters which, for example:
Include:
Loss of privacy
Loss of light
Car parking
Noise and disturbance
Character of the area
Greenbelt
Traffic generation
Conservation area
Do not include:
house values
Loss of view
Personal disagreements
Boundary disputes
Covenants
Please visit our ‘Have your say on planning applications’ page for further information.
All contributors are informed of the decision. A contributor is anyone who has made a comment, whether in favour or against the development.
If planning permission is granted, objectors do not have a right to appeal against the decision. If the application is refused, only the person who has made the application has the right to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate who will investigate and make a final decision based on their findings.
Applicants can appeal against a refusal of permission, a condition of a planning permission, or against non-determination, (if the Council has failed to make a decision within the processing period following the validation of the application, which is 8 weeks for a minor application and 13 weeks for a major).
Visit our ‘general guidance on appeals’ page for further information.
Unauthorised development not only covers new buildings, but also changes of use, advertisements, or work to listed buildings. If you think that an unauthorised development has taken place, please let us know. We will investigate your complaint and report back to you on what we find as the investigation progresses. We also promise strict confidence in our dealings with you when you provide us with information as part of an enforcement investigation.
Please visit our ‘Planning Enforcement’ page for further information.
Southampton City Council
