Making a planning application
It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that a planning application is completed honestly, accurately and is accompanied by all appropriate details, plans, certificate/statement of ownership and (where required) fee.
A planning application must make intention proposed by the application completely clear to any person reading its content, including the layman. Accordingly an applicant may benefit from recruiting the services of a qualified professional (architect or engineer) to assist them in the compilation of their application.
If upon receipt, an application is proven incomplete, it will be returned to the applicant or their agent with a request that the missing information is provided. Or, should detail be later established as missing, determination will be delayed or the application refused as incomplete.
A planning application must consist of 4 copies of the application form together with a checklist, and be supported by 4 copies of all plans as required by statute. Where an application may be for replacement windows, an application and supporting drawings plus two additional copies are required. The supporting documents are listed under Article 4(1)(a), Schedule 1, of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure)(No2) Order 2013.
Requirements can be defined as follows:
- site plan* - showing the layout of the site and its boundaries
- location plan* - showing the location of the land to be developed in relation to neighbours/streets etc
- all drawings to detail the footprints and elevations as required (existing and proposed showing any impact against neighbouring buildings)
- if the site is sloping, a cross section showing its impact on the hillside should be provided
- any engineering or environmental submissions should be furnished
- the correct fee. An up-to-date fees schedule is included in the Town and Country Planning (Application and Appeal Fees) (Amendment) Order 2019
- if the building is registered, an application for Registered Building Consent must also be made. Please see our Registered Buildings page for further information.
- Certificate O1 as the statement of the land owner – must be included to validate the application.
- A certificate of ownership in support of an advertisement application (Application for express consent), requires an ownership Certificate O2, however this will be issued by the Department for completion by the applicant once the application has been validated
- A Certificate O3 is required as a statement of ownership in support of a Registered Building Consent application
*Maps to provide these plans are available from the Department of Infrastructure which is the custodian for the Island maps (not Ordnance Survey).
In all instances the application will be scanned for the benefit of planning public services upon receipt
Once validated, two application copies are retained by the Department, one for public scrutiny and the other as a working copy. The other copies are sent to Department of Infrastructure Highways Services (located at the Sea Terminal) and the relevant local authority.
See downloadable documents for guidance to making a planning application.
In addition to completing the relevant paperwork, applicants or their agents are required to advertise the application at the site of the proposed works. The advertisement is undertaken by way of a site notice issued by the Department once the application has been validated. The Notice is issued with a request that it is placed where it can be read from the nearest public highway to the site of the application for a minimum of 21 days. Also the Department requires that a copy of that notice is furnished to the landowner or the occupier/tenant (if not the applicant) and to the relevant local authority for their own purposes.
The Directorate will endeavour to make a decision on the majority of applications within 8 weeks of the application having been validated. However, this will depend upon the nature and complexity of the application. Some applications will take longer to consider and further information or amended plans may be required.
Further information is available in relation to the following:
