Permission in principle overview

The aim of permission in principle is to give up-front certainty to developers that the fundamental principles of a proposed development are acceptable before they need to incur detailed design costs. The route is different to outline planning permission because less information is required to be provided upfront.

The permission in principle route has 2 stages; the first stage (known as the permission in principle stage) establishes whether a site is suitable in-principle; the second stage (known as the technical details consent stage) is when the detailed development proposals are considered.

Local planning authorities can grant permission in principle either on receipt of an application or as part of its brownfield register, which it is required to maintain pursuant to the Town and Country Planning (Brownfield Land Register) Regulations 2017. 

An application for permission in principle can only be made for minor development, so where the proposed number of dwellings is nine or less. The scope of a permission in principle is limited to location, land use and the amount of development, and the local planning authority is required to determine an application within 5 weeks. 

The developer must obtain technical details consent before any work is carried out, which, once granted, has the effect of granting planning permission for the development. It is at this stage that the council may impose conditions or require a planning agreement. Issues can arise at the second stage due to the limited information required to be submitted as part of the first stage.

The limitations, criteria and timescales are different where permission in principle is granted by the council as part of a brownfield register, but in practice there are few examples where permission has been granted in this way. The most common route to a permission in principle remains a direct application to the council.

If you would like to discuss permission in principle or any other planning matters, please contact either David Bird, Alex Gillott or Beth Sykes at VWV.