Getting planning permission

If you want to carry out building work you may need planning permission.

Check with your planning authority to see if you need to apply for planning permission .

Planning permission

The following information is guidance only.

Planning permission needed

You may need planning permission if:

you want to build something new
you want to make a major change to your building – like building an extension
you want to change the use of your building
your building is in a conservation area (you may need 'conservation area consent')
your building is a listed building (you may need 'listed building consent')

Contact your planning authority to find out if your building is in a conservation area.

Check Historic Environment Scotland's listed building search or contact your planning authority to find out if your building is listed.

Smaller building projects that do not impact on the surrounding area might not need a planning application. This is called 'permitted development'.

Many small alterations and extensions can be made without applying for planning permission.

Find out if the building work you want to carry out meets the rules for permitted development.

If your project needs planning permission and you do the work without it, you may be served an 'enforcement notice'.

It's illegal to ignore enforcement notices but you can appeal against them.

Thanks for your feedback