How the planning system works
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How the planning system works
Controlling the way Brighton & Hove develops is about organising the use of land and buildings to benefit as many people as possible, including future generations.
The Core Strategy is the planning document that provides the overall strategic vision for the future of Brighton & Hove through to 2026. It will set out how the council will respond to local priorities, meet the challenges of the future and identify the broad locations, scale and types of development needed together with the supporting infrastructure.
The council’s Development Control Service is responsible for all decisions ranging from major sites such as the Marina or Royal Alexandra Hospital to householder extensions and changes in retail use.
The service aims to ensure that the interests of private owners are balanced with the wider public interests of current and future generations. These interests can include design, sustainability, use, and many other public benefits or safeguards.
Development Control's decisions are guided by a number of documents. The City Council produces a development plan, based on planning laws, government guidance and local priorities. This includes the Brighton & Hove Local Plan. Together with national laws and guidance, and local policies and guidance found in SPGs and SPDs, it is used by Development Control when assessing applications.
Development control covers many types of proposal, including:
- building a garage or extension
- constructing new buildings such as offices or homes
- changing the use of existing land or buildings, or altering buildings, for example adding new shop fronts or replacing windows
- changing landscaping, such as making a new children’s play area
- displaying advertisements
- working on protected trees
- putting up temporary structures
Usually this involves making a planning application. The main types of applications are:
- full planning permission
- listed building consent
- conservation area consent
- advertisement consent
- works to trees
- Lawful Development Certificate
If there is any question whether you need planning permission or not, you can apply for a ‘Lawful Development Certificate’ to prove to anyone, such as a prospective purchaser, that your development is within the law. Apply online here.
An application for planning permission will either be approved or refused, based on planning laws, guidance, and policies. But
- approvals may be subject to conditions reasons must be given, and there is a right of appeal
- approvals may be subject to a legal agreement
The aim is to strike a fair balance between letting people make changes to their property, and preventing changes that could be harmful to the area as a whole.
The Investigation and Enforcement Service is the part of Development Control that takes action against unlawful development. It has wide powers.
Development control can be very complicated and information given on this website is only a guide. It cannot be taken as binding on us. Written confirmation should always be obtained from us where certainty is needed.