Glossary
Discharging planning conditions on a London approval
Submitting evidence that planning conditions have been met. Required before lawful use.
Submitting evidence that planning conditions have been met. Required before lawful use.
Discharging a condition means applying to the council to approve the details a planning condition reserved — materials, drainage, construction management. The application fee is £43 per request for householder development and £145 otherwise, and the authority has eight weeks to decide.
A pre-commencement condition must be discharged before any work begins. Starting without discharging one means the development is not lawfully begun, which can invalidate the whole permission — a serious problem if the three-year implementation window then expires.
Since 2018 an authority must seek the applicant's written agreement before imposing a pre-commencement condition, which is worth knowing when a draft decision arrives with an unreasonable one attached.
Materials samples, window and door details at 1:5 or 1:10, obscure glazing to flank windows, roof-light specification, boundary treatment, tree protection to BS 5837, sustainable drainage details, and a construction management plan where the street is narrow.
Submit all conditions in one application rather than several — the fee is per request, not per condition. Provide the exact detail the wording asks for, at the scale it asks for. Most delays come from submitting a manufacturer's brochure when the condition asked for a drawn 1:5 section.
A worked Richmond upon Thames example of discharge of conditions: with 72 conservation areas — the Richmond Green Conservation Area and the Kew Green Conservation Area among the best known — London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (Richmond Council) sees discharge of conditions constantly, and there is no borough-wide Article 4 direction, so permitted development generally survives outside conservation areas. Where discharge of conditions pushes a Richmond upon Thames scheme out of permitted development, the route becomes a £548 application decided in 8 weeks rather than a £249 prior approval in 6 weeks.
| Householder fee | £43 per request |
|---|---|
| Other development fee | £145 per request |
| Decision period | 8 weeks |
| Pre-commencement | Must be discharged before work starts |
| Applicant agreement | Required before a pre-commencement condition is imposed |
| Implementation window | 3 years from permission |
Yes, and you should — the fee is per request, not per condition.
A pre-commencement breach can invalidate the permission; take advice quickly.
Yes, against a refusal to discharge, or against the condition itself within six months of the decision.
Pick a slot that suits you. No obligation and no sales pressure, just straight answers on your planning route.
