The process of applying for commercial planning permission can be hard fought at times. Make sure you know what you're getting into so you can do everything right to avoid common mistakes and misconceptions. For more useful information surrounding commercial property please check out Pall Mall Estates' news section - www.pallmallestates.co.uk/latest-news.aspx

1. Commercial Planning
Permission:
The Complete 2015 Guide

2. Commercial Planning Permission: The Complete 2015 Guide
Commercial Property – Industrial Units, Office Space to Rent 2
Contents
Contents 2
Introduction 3
How to Apply for Commercial Planning Permission 3
When is Business Planning Permission not Applicable? 4
What Happens once you’ve Applied? 5
Appealing 6
About us 7

3. Commercial Planning Permission: The Complete 2015 Guide
Commercial Property – Industrial Units, Office Space to Rent 3
Introduction
If you own any commercial property, it’s quite likely that you’ll end up needing commercial planning
permission at some point. Here’s our guide on everything you need to know.
You’ll need to apply for planning permission if you:
 Build anything new (such as additional parking, garages, etc.)
 Make any major changes to your existing building such as building extensions
 Change the overall use of your building (such as changing it from a warehouse to an office)
To find out if you need business planning permission, get in touch with your local planning authority
(LPA).
So, how do you do that?
How to Apply for Commercial Planning Permission
The easiestway to apply for planning permission is to use the online
tool available at planningportal.gov.uk.If you have any queriesyour LPA
should be able to help.

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When is Business Planning Permission not Applicable?
There are some building projects thatdon’t require planning permission
due to what’s known as ‘permitted developmentrights’.Theseinclude:
 Some industrial premises or warehouses
 This isn’t automatic, however, there are a number of limits and conditions in place.
 Some outdoor signs and advertisements
 Again, there are specific rules set in place.
 Demolition projects
 Demolition projects must be approved by your LPA.
These are the major projects that don’t typically require business planning permission, but other
exceptions can be made. It is always best to check with your LPA.
The other major thing to consider is community rights. If your building benefits the local community
and is supported by them, it is possible that standard planning permission might not be required.
Community Right to Build will let your community grant permission itself under certain circumstances.

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What Happens once you’ve Applied
Once you’ve made your application,your LPA will decide whetheror not
to grantyou commercialplanning permission.They’lltake into account
things like:
 The number, size, layout, siting and external appearance of the buildings
 Available infrastructure, such as roads and water supply
 Any landscaping required in the project
 What the development will be used for
 Whether your development will affect the surrounding area in terms of traffic etc.
Typically, planning permission applications will be approved or denied within eight weeks, or about
13 weeks for longer, more complicated projects. If the decision takes any longer, you can appeal.
How do you do this?

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Commercial Property – Industrial Units, Office Space to Rent 6
Appealing
If your application is refused,you may be able to come to an agreement
with your LPA by adjusting the plans slightly. You should be aware that
appeals can take severalmonths to be processed.
You can, however, only appeal in certain specific situations, such as if your LPA:
 Refused your application
 Grants you permission, but there are conditions to the permission that you object to
 Refused to approve anything referred to as an outline permission, i.e. planning permission
for an idea rather than a specific plan
 Refused approval for something that was previously demanded by them as a condition (i.e. if
you’ve developed a building as part of obtaining planning permission on a previous project)
 Doesn’t make a decision by the deadline, and doesn’t obtain permission to alter the deadline
 Serves you with an enforcement notice because it thinks you might have broken planning
permission, and you disagree

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Thank you
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020 8986 7221 / 0121 228 0000
info@pallmallestates.co.uk
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London
E5 0SB
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