Advice about planning

Do I need permission?

You may be surprised what you need permission for. Digging a pond, creating a mound, putting up a satellite dish or building a raised patio may all require planning permission. We recommend you contact us for advice if you intend to:

• use a digger
• employ a builder
• change the use of a building
• put up an advertisement

Read our general guidance: Do I need planning permission?

Questions and answers

We have written a list of commonly asked questions and answers. You may find an answer to your query. If not, please don't hesitate to contact us for advice.

Read the questions and answers.

Pre-application advice service

Since January 2022 our pre application advice service has been suspended and we are not be accepting any requests for pre application advice, other than for schemes relating to Grade 1 and Grade 2* listed buildings (but not Grade 2 buildings), for proposals that constitute Major Development, and for proposals that the Authority regards to be major e.g. by virtue of the nature and characteristics of the case and its impact on the special qualities of the National Park.

We will continue to accept simpler enquiries seeking advice as to the need for planning permission and listed building consent, which is a free service.

We appreciate this decision may cause significant inconvenience and apologise for that, however it has been made necessary due to resource issues in the Planning Service which we are currently making every effort to address.

We continue to review the suspension of our pre app service regularly. In order to enable our planning officers to continue to focus on processing applications, we will not be in a position to restart the pre-application advice service until at least Spring 2024, when a further review will take place. We understand that this will cause inconvenience to applicants and agents, and apologise again for this.

Find out more about our pre-application advice service.

Planning application forms

Here you will find the full range of application forms for your proposal.

Renewable energy

Before you consider installing a renewable energy device, we recommend that you are saving energy before you start generating it. Read our general guidance about renewable energy.

We have also written a list of commonly asked questions and answers about the planning permission required for renewable energy devices. Find out more about renewable energy and planning.

Conservation areas

Special rules apply to conservation areas. Planning officers take an area's special character into account when considering a planning application.

Find out more about planning permission in conservation areas.

Listed buildings

You will need consent to demolish a listed building or for any alterations or extensions which would affect its character as a building of architectural or historic interest. Applying for listed building consent process is very similar to the normal planning process.

Find out more about planning permission for listed buildings.

Top five tips

• Get advice from our team as early as possible in your project.
• Remember each case is different and each property has a different planning history.
• Give us as much information as possible (including drawings, maps, plans, photos, measurements).
• We can only offer you good advice if we have all the correct information.
• Remember that we are here to help you; last year, we approved 88% of applications.