Planning glossary

Article 4 DirectionA local council restriction removing specific Permitted Development rights. Most... Permitted DevelopmentHouseholder rights to build certain extensions and conversions without applying ... Heritage StatementA required document for any planning application affecting a heritage asset (lis... Listed Building ConsentPermission required for any work affecting the character of a listed building. S... Conservation AreaA designated area of special architectural or historic interest. Increased plann... Lawful Development CertificateA formal confirmation from the council that a proposal qualifies as Permitted De... Party Wall etc. Act 1996Statutory framework requiring formal notice and (often) a Party Wall Award when ... Design and Access StatementA planning document explaining the design rationale and accessibility provisions... Planning PortalThe national online service for submitting planning applications to UK local aut... Building RegulationsStatutory standards for construction quality, fire, energy, accessibility, drain... Approved InspectorA private-sector alternative to LABC for building regulations sign-off. Same leg... Part L (Building Regs)Conservation of fuel and power. Thermal performance, energy efficiency, and insu... Part B (Building Regs)Fire safety. Means of escape, fire-resisting construction, fire spread.... Part M (Building Regs)Access to and use of buildings. Accessibility provisions.... Part K (Building Regs)Protection from falling, collision, and impact. Stairs, balustrades, ramps.... Part E (Building Regs)Resistance to sound passage. Acoustic separation between dwellings.... Part F (Building Regs)Ventilation. Background and purge ventilation requirements.... Structural EngineerA chartered engineer who designs and certifies the load-bearing structure. Requi... Measured SurveyAn accurate dimensional survey of existing conditions. Foundation of all subsequ... HMO (House in Multiple Occupation)A property shared by three or more unrelated tenants. Often subject to additiona... C3 / C4 use classC3 = single dwelling. C4 = small HMO (3–6 unrelated tenants). Conversion between... DormerA vertical extension on a sloped roof, creating headroom and a window. Most comm... MansardA near-vertical roof extension with a small upper slope. Common rear-of-terrace ... Hip-to-gableSquaring off a sloped (hipped) side wall to create vertical (gable) wall. Used t... VeluxA roof window installed in line with the existing roof pitch. Cheapest loft opti... Side-return extensionAn extension into the side passage of a Victorian/Edwardian terrace, creating a ... Rear extensionAn extension at the back of the property. Most common London household extension... Wrap-around extensionA combined rear + side-return extension forming an L-shape.... Two-storey extensionA double-height rear or side addition. Requires full planning.... Basement extensionA subterranean addition under the existing footprint or rear garden. Heavily reg... Infill developmentBuilding in a gap between existing buildings, typically the side passage.... Setback (eaves)The horizontal distance a roof extension must be set back from the eaves to qual... Ridge heightThe highest point of a roof. Cannot be exceeded by any PD roof extension.... CurtilageThe legal extent of a property — the land legally tied to a building. Important ... Building ControlCouncil department (LABC) responsible for inspecting and signing off building wo... Planning OfficerThe council employee assessing your application. Recommendations go to the plann... Planning CommitteeElected councillors who decide larger or controversial applications. Householder... ValidationInitial council check that an application contains all required documents and fe... DeterminationThe statutory 8-week period (householder) or 13-week (major) within which a coun... Delegated decisionAn application decided by an officer rather than committee. Almost all household... Planning refusalA decision against an application. Grounds for refusal are stated in the decisio... Planning appealChallenge to a refusal or non-determination, handled by the Planning Inspectorat... Retrospective planningAn application submitted after work is already done. Higher refusal rate.... Enforcement NoticeA council order requiring breach of planning control to be remedied. Failure to ... Stop NoticeAn immediate order to cease unauthorised work. Often issued alongside an Enforce... Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)A charge on new floorspace, used by councils to fund infrastructure. Application... Section 106A legal agreement attaching obligations to a planning permission. Major schemes ... National Planning Policy FrameworkGovernment's high-level planning policy. Sets the framework local plans must res... Local PlanA council's strategic planning document. Sets housing targets, site allocations,... Neighbourhood PlanA community-led plan that, once approved at referendum, carries legal weight in ... Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)A document expanding on Local Plan policy. Often the source of borough-specific ... Daylight & Sunlight ReportA BRE-method assessment of how an extension affects neighbours' light. Required ... BRE 209The standard methodology for daylight and sunlight assessment in planning.... Flood Risk AssessmentRequired for development in Environment Agency flood zones 2 or 3, or for baseme... SAP calculationStandard Assessment Procedure — the government's energy-efficiency calculation f... EPC (Energy Performance Certificate)Required on sale or rent. Triggered by new dwellings and major extensions.... U-valueHeat transfer coefficient. Lower = better insulation.... Thermal bridgeA path of heat loss through poorly insulated junctions. Modern detailing aims to... Brick bondThe pattern in which bricks are laid (Flemish, English, stretcher). Important fo... London stock brickThe pale-yellow brick of much Victorian London. Often required for conservation-... PointingThe mortar joints between bricks. Lime mortar required on most listed and conser... RenderExternal wall coating (often stucco in white-painted London terraces).... Party Wall AwardThe legal document recording agreed Party Wall arrangements between building own... Schedule of ConditionPhotographic and written record of a neighbour's property before work starts, ma... Right of LightA separate property right to a defined level of natural light, distinct from pla... OversailingConstruction that crosses a neighbour's boundary or air-space. Requires consent.... UnderpinningStrengthening or deepening existing foundations. Required for many basement exte... Piled foundationFoundations using piles driven into deeper, stronger strata. Common for basement... Damp-proof course (DPC)A barrier preventing rising damp. New extensions must tie into existing DPC leve... Thermal massA material's ability to absorb and slowly release heat. Masonry has high thermal... AirtightnessResistance to air leakage. Tested at building-regs sign-off (in homes above a th... Acoustic separationSound reduction between rooms / properties. Required between dwellings per Part ... Trickle ventBackground ventilation in window frames. Required by Part F.... MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery)A whole-house ventilation system recovering heat from extracted air. Common in l... ASHP (Air Source Heat Pump)Renewable heating drawing energy from outside air. Increasingly common in new an... Planning feeStatutory fee paid to council on application. £206 for a single dwelling extensi... Building Regulations feeFee paid to LABC or approved inspector for plans check + site inspections. Varia... Party Wall surveyor feeFees of agreed surveyor under the Party Wall Act, paid by the building owner.... Structural engineer feeIndependent fee for structural calcs and drawings. Required for most extensions ... Planning conditionA requirement attached to a planning approval. Must be discharged before / durin... Discharge of conditionsSubmitting evidence that planning conditions have been met. Required before lawf... Variation of condition (s73)Application to vary a previously imposed planning condition. Cheaper than a full...