Planning Permission vs Building Regulations: The Difference UK Homeowners Keep Getting Wrong
Updated: Aug 21
This is one of the most common points of confusion I encounter with UK homeowners, and getting it wrong can cause serious problems during a build and when you come to sell.
Planning permission and Building Regulations approval are two entirely separate things. You can need one, both, or neither, depending on what you’re building. They are issued by different bodies, assessed against different criteria, and serve different purposes.
Planning Permission: About What You Build and Where
Planning permission is granted by the Local Planning Authority, the council.
It is concerned with the impact of your development on the surrounding area: how it looks, its relationship to neighbouring properties, compliance with planning policy.
Importantly, it does not tell you how to build something.
You need it, or Permitted Development confirmation, before you start building.
Building Regulations: About How You Build It
Building Regulations approval is issued by the council’s Building Control department or an Approved Inspector.
It is concerned with the technical standard of construction: structural integrity, fire safety, insulation, drainage, ventilation, electrical safety, and accessibility.
It does not consider planning policy or neighbour objections.
When You Need Which
Planning only
Some change of use applications involve no structural work and may not trigger Building Regulations.
Building Regulations only
Many Permitted Development works still require Building Regs sign-off.
A loft conversion under PD rights almost always needs Building Regs for structure, fire safety, and insulation.
Removing a load-bearing wall needs Building Regs even when planning permission is not required.
Both
Any new build, extension beyond minor works, significant structural alteration, or change of use involving building work typically requires both.
Neither
Redecorating, like-for-like fixture replacement, non-structural garden work, though always worth confirming.
The Most Common Mistakes
Confusing Building Regs approval with planning permission
Both are often issued by the council, but by different departments. A Building Regs completion certificate is not planning permission.
Starting work without Building Regs when PD covers the planning
PD does not exempt you from Building Regulations.
We regularly see homeowners who built a loft conversion under PD and only discovered at the point of sale that there was no completion certificate.
Not reading the planning conditions
A planning approval often comes with conditions, approved materials, restricted window positions, landscaping requirements.
A contractor who builds to the drawings without reading the decision notice can breach planning conditions.
The Completion Certificate: Why You Must Have One
When Building Regulations work is completed and inspected, you receive a Completion Certificate, proof that the build meets the required technical standards.
Solicitors request these as standard on property sales. Without one, the buyer’s solicitor will require indemnity insurance or, in some cases, walk away.
The Simple Way to Think About It
Planning permission = permission to build it.
Building Regulations = approval of how it’s built.
Both exist to protect you, your neighbours, and future owners.
Neither is optional when it applies.
Bernard A. is the COO of Altura Design, a specialist architectural design consultancy and planning management firm serving UK clients from Goa, India. A spin-off of Enigmasoft Technologies.
■ Goa, India | ■ enigma-tech.io | ■ +91 7057286372
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