Householder planning applications in England: the process, the 8-week clock and what happens if you are refused

Many home improvements in England can be built under permitted development rights, without applying for planning permission. When a project goes beyond those limits, or the rights have been removed, the usual route is a householder planning application. This guide follows an application from the first drawings to the decision notice, and sets out what you can do if the answer is no. It covers England only; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems. It is general information, not planning or legal advice.

What counts as a householder application

The Planning Portal describes householder applications as a simplified process for proposals to alter or enlarge a single house, including works within its garden. Typical examples are extensions, conservatories, loft conversions, dormer windows, garages, outbuildings, porches and walls or fences. The route does not apply to flats, to work affecting more than one house or to changes of use, which need a full planning application instead.

Before applying, check whether you need permission at all. Our guide to permitted development for house extensions explains the limits, a Lawful Development Certificate can confirm them in writing, and larger single-storey rear extensions may only need prior approval.

Step 1: pre-application advice

Most councils offer advice before you apply. Government planning practice guidance says councils may charge for this discretionary service, but charges must not exceed the cost of providing it, and councils are strongly encouraged to provide at least a basic level of service free of charge. Check your council's website for what it offers and how long a written response takes. Advice at this stage is not a decision, but it can show early whether a design is likely to be acceptable.

Step 2: a valid application

The practice guidance on making an application lists four things a valid application needs:

• a completed application form;
• the national information requirements, including plans and drawings and an ownership certificate;
• the correct fee;
• any information on the council's own local list of requirements.

Plans must be drawn to an identified scale and, for plans, show the direction of north. The Planning Portal says most householder applications need a location plan and a site plan, with enough drawings to describe the proposal, the materials and any works to trees or hedges.

The ownership certificate

You must confirm who owns the land. Certificate A is for a sole owner with no agricultural tenants. If anyone else owns part of the site, for example a freeholder where you hold a lease, you must serve notice on them and sign a different certificate. The guidance warns that knowingly or recklessly completing a false or misleading certificate is an offence, with a maximum fine of up to £5,000.

The fee

At the fees in force since 1 April 2026, the Planning Portal lists £548 for alterations to a single house and £272 for smaller works not to the house itself, such as fences. The government has confirmed that fees rise on 8 December 2026, when the single-house fee becomes £575. Our guide to the December fee changes covers the transitional rule. The Planning Portal notes that householder applications are exempt from the fee where the work is for a disabled person's access, safety, health or comfort, and it adds its own service charge to online applications.

Step 3: consultation

Once the application is valid, the council publicises it. For most householder schemes, the consultation guidance requires a site notice or letters to neighbours, plus details on the council's website. Where a project would affect the setting of a listed building or the character or appearance of a conservation area, a site notice and a newspaper advertisement are both required. The formal period for comments is normally at least 21 days.

Neighbours' views are taken into account, but only on planning grounds. The guidance on determining applications explains that planning concerns land use in the public interest, and that purely private interests, such as the effect on the value of a neighbouring property or the loss of private rights to light, are generally not material considerations. Shared walls are dealt with separately under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.

Step 4: the decision and the 8-week clock

Under article 34 of the Development Management Procedure Order 2015, the council has 8 weeks from a valid application to decide a householder application, unless you agree a longer period in writing. The Planning Portal confirms that the clock starts once the application has been validated.

If more time is needed, the council may ask you to agree an extension of time. If it neither decides nor agrees an extension, you can appeal for non-determination. Under the government's planning guarantee, if a non-major application is still undecided after 16 weeks, no longer period has been agreed and you have not appealed, the fee is refunded. The guidance warns applicants not to delay a decision simply to obtain a refund.

Who takes the decision changed this autumn. Since 31 October 2026, under the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026, householder applications must be decided by planning officers rather than committees, except in limited own-interest cases. Our national scheme of delegation guide has the detail.

Step 5: if permission is granted

Read the decision notice carefully. The guidance on planning conditions explains that permission normally has to be implemented within 3 years of the grant, unless the council sets a different period. Conditions may also require details such as materials to be approved before or during the work. From 8 December 2026, the government's fee schedule sets £125 to discharge conditions on householder development.

Planning permission is not building regulations approval. Most extensions and loft conversions also need building control sign-off: see our guide to the completion certificate. In areas that charge the Community Infrastructure Levy, a larger extension may be liable unless an exemption applies, so check before work starts.

Step 6: if the council refuses

A refusal notice gives the reasons. Sometimes a revised scheme that answers them is the quickest route. You can also appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. According to GOV.UK, you have up to 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter, there is no fee, and the deadline is shorter if an enforcement notice has been served. Appeals against conditions on a householder permission go through the full planning appeal service.

The appeal process also changed in 2026. The Planning Inspectorate's procedural guide for applications dated on or after 1 April 2026 says most such appeals follow a written, expedited procedure. Neighbours cannot send new comments at the appeal stage, although their comments on the application are passed to the Inspector. The appellant cannot normally submit new evidence that the council has not seen, and amendments to the scheme are not usually considered. In practice, the application itself needs to make the full case.

On timing, the Planning Inspectorate's published figures for householder appeals decided in September 2026 show a median of 12 weeks and a mean of 14 weeks, across 278 decisions. These are past figures, not a promise for any new appeal.

A practical checklist

1. Confirm the project actually needs permission, and whether the house is listed, in a conservation area or covered by an Article 4 direction.
2. Use pre-application advice where your council offers it.
3. Check the council's local list before submitting, so the application is valid first time.
4. Note the validation date and the 8-week deadline, and respond promptly to requests for information.
5. Read every condition on the decision notice, and diary the 3-year start date.
6. If refused, decide within the 12-week window whether to revise or appeal.

When the consents are in place, you can request quotes from independent builders. Home Builders does not carry out building work: we ask advertisers to provide proof of insurance, and any contract is between you and the builder you choose.

Sources: Planning Portal: householder planning consent; GOV.UK planning practice guidance: before submitting an application; GOV.UK planning practice guidance: making an application; GOV.UK planning practice guidance: consultation and pre-decision matters; GOV.UK planning practice guidance: determining a planning application; GOV.UK planning practice guidance: use of planning conditions; MHCLG: fees for planning applications in England from 8 December 2026; The Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026; GOV.UK: appeal against a householder planning decision; Planning Inspectorate: procedural guide for appeals relating to applications dated on or after 1 April 2026; Planning Inspectorate: appeals, how long they take.

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