Planning Advice

Planning and Building Control Archive Searches

If planning permission is required it should be sought and deemed final before any development is commenced. Please see our permitted development page.

The Planning Office actively seeks to treat all applications in a fair and consistent manner and according to the legislation and policies set by the Department. In order to do so, Officers are available to offer advice at all levels of the process. Whilst pre-application discussion is welcomed before an application is made, encouraging high quality of submissions and to assist in the application being dealt with as efficiently as possible, the work load of the Officer may delay the expediency of a site visit or meeting.

Should you wish to seek detailed advice regarding the possibility of development in a specific area you may need to speak to the designated Development Control Officer for that parish of the Island. To establish which Officer is responsible for that area of the Island please visit our contacts page.

Supporting the Development Control Officers and available to answer more general enquiries is an administration team, who are contactable on (01624) 685950. Alternatively, e-mail planning@gov.im. The administration team also has a Planning Enforcement Officer. Should you have an enforcement enquiry please go to our Enforcements page.

For those works which may fall within the criteria covered by Permitted Development and will not require the submission of a formal planning application, please see our permitted development page.

Planning and Building Control Archive Searches

Advocates acting for a client when handling a property conveyance, by practice, contact the Planning and Building Control Division seeking investigation of either, or both, the planning and building control history of a property. This is carried out for a fee, and seeks to assure client familiarity as a potential purchaser with, for example;

any planning history including approvals;
building control completion certificates have been issued in compliance with Building Regulations;
if the property is within a conservation area;
if there are any planning enforcement issues on the subject property;
outstanding planning conditions.

Building Control is regulated by the Department for the Island with exception to the Local Authorities of Onchan and Douglas.

The Building Control function for the Peel Authority became the Department’s responsibility on January 1st 2010.

Advocates (or interested members of the public) may apply for such searches, including the appropriate fee, using the form downloadable from the bottom of this page.

Downloadable Documents