Once you've submitted a planning application, it moves through several distinct stages before a decision is made. Understanding these helps set realistic expectations for timing — and explains why PlanFind shows applications as "pending" for a while before any outcome appears.
Full vs outline applications
There are two main types of planning application:
- Full planning permission — every detail is submitted upfront: exact design, materials, layout, the works. Most household and smaller applications are full applications.
- Outline planning permission — establishes whether development is acceptable in principle on a site, with some or all details ("reserved matters" — things like appearance, landscaping, layout) submitted later in a separate application. This is common for larger sites where a developer wants certainty on the principle before investing in detailed design work.
Validation
Every application is checked for completeness before it's properly registered. An incomplete or incorrect application is marked invalid and sent back — this is the single most common reason a straightforward application takes longer than expected.
Publicity and consultation
Once valid, the council notifies neighbours (usually by letter, and often with a site notice too) and consults relevant bodies — highways, environmental health, heritage officers, and others depending on what's proposed. Anyone can comment during this period, and comments become part of the public record.
Assessment against "material considerations"
A case officer weighs the application against the council's Local Plan and national policy, alongside genuine "material considerations" — things the law actually allows to influence a planning decision, like impact on neighbours' light or privacy, highway safety, or heritage impact. Things that feel important but aren't material considerations (like a drop in property value, or personal disputes with a neighbour) generally can't be taken into account.
Delegated decision or committee?
Most applications are decided by a senior planning officer under "delegated powers" — no committee vote needed. Larger, more contentious, or policy-significant applications instead go to a planning committee of elected councillors, who vote on the officer's recommendation at a public meeting.
The decision
You'll get a formal decision notice: granted (sometimes with conditions attached), granted subject to a legal agreement, or refused with the reasons stated. Conditions are genuinely binding — building without complying with them can put you in the same position as building without permission at all.
If you're refused
You can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, a separate, independent body from the council, via GOV.UK. Appeals take time — often several months — so it's usually worth understanding exactly why you were refused and whether a revised application might succeed faster.