Notes from the planning desk.
What changed this month, what councils are doing, and what it means for your project. Updated regularly, by people who read the decision notices.
Article 4 directions are spreading well beyond London
Twelve councils outside the capital added or extended Article 4 directions in the last quarter. If you were planning to build under permitted development, check your street before you check your budget.
More from the desk
4 articlesWhat extensions actually cost this quarter
Steel is down, glazing is flat, labour in the South East is up again. What moved in the numbers behind our cost guides, and what to do if you are pricing a project right now.
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The prior approval route almost nobody uses
Between three and six metres there is a route that needs no full planning application. Birmingham used it 626 times last year. Most councils saw fewer than fifty. Here is how it works.
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Why refusals spike in summer, and what to do about it
Refusal rates climb every July and August. The reason is not the councils. It is what gets submitted.
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Try it on your own house
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