Planning
The type of work you intend to carry out will determine if you need planning permission, the type of application you need to make and if you need building regulation approval.
Making An Application
Most people realise that they may need approval for their proposed building work but don’t always understand the difference between building regulations and planning permission. You might need one or the other, both, or neither, but you must find out before you start any work.
Planning is interested in the way our towns, cities and countryside is developed. This includes the appearance of buildings, the use of land & landscaping considerations, highway access and the impact that the development will have on the general environment. Planning permission is NOT usually required for most internal alterations, for some extensions, some loft conversions or some garages.
Building Regulations deal mainly with health and safety matters in the interest of the people who will use the building. They also include requirements to ensure that fuel and power is conserved and facilities are provided for people, including those with disabilities, to access and move around inside buildings.
If you are in any doubt about whether you need to apply for planning permission or building regulations approval, please check with us before you start any work.
- To make additions or extensions to a flat or maisonette (including those converted from houses). (You do not need planning permission to carry out internal alterations or work which does not affect the external appearance of the building.)
- To divide off part of your house for use as a separate home (for example, a self-contained flat or bed-sit) or use a caravan in your garden as a home for someone else. (You do not need planning permission to let one or two of your rooms to lodgers so long as the main use remains that of a private residence.)
- To build a separate house in your garden
- To divide off part of your home for business or commercial use (for example, a workshop) or you want to build a parking place for a commercial vehicle at your home.
- To build something which goes against the terms of the original planning permission for your house – for example, your house may have been built with a restriction to stop people putting up fences in front gardens because it is on an “open plan” estate. Planning Service has a record of all planning permissions in your area
- The work you want to do might obstruct the view of road users
- The work would involve a new or wider access to a trunk or classified road
Other small changes, for example putting up walls and fences below a certain height, have a general planning permission for which a specific application is not required.
If you are unsure if you require planning permission, you should discuss your proposals with us or Planning Service Headquarters before you begin any work.
Pre-Application Advice
Pre application advice will give clients background information necessary prior to submitting an application as follows:
- The advice will be based upon site appraisal, site history, site constraints, relevant planning polices and level of technical information required
- The advice will be shared in a standardised report within 10 working days of a valid submission
- The fee for this service is £75 (Householder, commercial under 200m², Charity, Community and Listed Buildings are exempt)
To request Pre-application Advice, email the planning department at: . Your request should be accompanied with the following information:
- A covering letter detailing your proposal
- A completed pre-application advice instruction form
- A site location plan
- Information about the existing use, floor space, occupation and number of car parking spaces on the site
- Drawings and photographs to describe the site and building(s) as they currently exist
- Photographs of the immediate surroundings
- A full set of electronic drawings to describe the proposal
- Receipt of payment or cheque covering the pre-application fee
- Your contact address, email and telephone number.
It is also advisable to look at the planning policies in the Local plan, and Planning Policy Statements.
The fee should be received at the initial request stage.
We aim to send you a written report of the points within 10 working days of receipt of the request.
Pre-Application Discussions
Pre-application discussions will give clients background information necessary prior to making a decision to submit an application following a consideration of the proposed concept
- The advice will be based upon site appraisal, site history, site constraints, relevant planning polices and level of technical information required
- Planning Officers will visit the site and arrange a meeting with you and your team to discuss your proposal in detail
- The advice and discussion will be shared in a report within 21 working days from the date of the initial meeting
The fee for this service is scaled.
Local (Small scale) £500 2-9 residential units or 200-1999m² commercial
Local £650 10- 49 residential units or 2000 – 4900m² commercial
Major £800 50 & above residential units or 5000m² & above commercial
*Additional site visits £150 and additional meetings £150
(Householder, commercial* under 200m², Charity, Community and Listed Buildings are exempt)
*Commercial includes retail, office and economic development uses as defined in PPS4
To request a pre-application discussion meeting, email the planning department at using the header PREAPPLICATION DISCUSSION .Your request should be accompanied with the following information:
- A covering letter detailing your proposal
- A completed pre-application instruction form
- A site location plan
- Information about the existing use, floor space, occupation and number of car parking spaces on the site
- Drawings and photographs to describe the site and building(s) as they currently exist
- Photographs of the immediate surroundings
- Technical studies if available. For example transport, flood risk, drainage, contamination risk and trees
- A full set of electronic drawings to describe the proposal
- Receipt of payment or cheque covering the pre-application fee
- Your contact address, email and telephone number.
It is also advisable to look at the planning policies in the Local plan, and Planning Policy Statements.
The full fee should be received at the initial request stage.
We aim to arrange a meeting with you within 10 working days from the date of a valid request with a written report of the points within 21 working days from the meeting. We may request an extension of time depending on the scale of the proposal or constraints of the site; however we will discuss this with you at the outset to agree a revised timeframe/
On receipt of the complete package of information, we will contact you to set up a meeting with the relevant officers. Those attending the meeting will be selected depending on the scale and nature of the proposal, the location of the site and the likely issues it raises.
You must provide the name and job title of each attendee. Any documents you wish to discuss at the meeting must be provided at time of initial submission.
There are three types of planning applications:
- Local applications: these are typically smaller, more straightforward applications
- Major applications: larger, more complex applications with pre-application requirements
- Regionally significant applications: these applications will be determined by the Department of the Environment
If you want to submit a major application, you need to consult with the community on your proposals before submitting your application.
Forms for local and major applications are available in two ways:
- Print the form from the Planning NI website and complete it and return to us at Bridgewater House, 23a Castlewellan Road, Banbridge, Co. Down, BT32 4AX
- Call into our planning office and collect the relevant application form to complete and return
Your application must be accompanied by the appropriate fee and supporting documentation to be processed. For more information on fees visit the planning portal.
You can pay your fee in one of two ways:
- Pay by cheque – make it payable to Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council
- Pay by cash (up to a maximum of £1000) at Bridgewater House, 23a Castlewellan Road, Banbridge, Co. Down, BT32 4AX
Completed application forms and fees can be submitted:
- by post (please enclose a cheque made payable to Armagh City Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council)
- in person at our planning office at Bridgewater House, 23a Castlewellan Road, Banbridge, Co. Down, BT32 4AX
We’re unable to offer an online application or payment service at this time.
Building Control
If you are planning to carry out work, check with us before you start to see if you need building regulations approval.
Some work may also require planning permission, so you should also check with our Planning Service before you begin.
There are 3 ways to apply:
- Full plans application – for proposed work to domestic and non-domestic
- Building notice application – for works of a minor nature to domestic properties.
- Regularisation application – for work that has already been carried out to a domestic or non-domestic property without getting approval at the time (retrospective approval of unauthorised work)
Advisory Note
The Council to which you are submitting this application form, collects data for the purposes of the management and application of the Building Regulations. This data may also be passed on to other related Government Agencies and to other Council Departments, to facilitate Statutory Requirements, Service Level Agreements or similar purposes.
Work can start as soon as you have received approval of a valid application. It is suggested that you get plans approved before works start to give you some protection against having to make costly alterations if your drawings submitted happen not to comply with the Building Regulations. You must tell us when you are starting the work and request site inspections at various stages.
When all building regulation fees have been paid, the work is complete and we are satisfied with it, you will be issued a completion certificate confirming that it meets Building Regulations.
Full plans applications are required for projects such as:
- building a new property
- changing the use of a property (e.g. converting a dwelling into an office or a shop)
- conversion of a house into flats
- an extension where the floor area of the dwelling is increased by more than 10m², or
- an extension that creates a new storey greater than 3m² in floor area and requires access by stairs, for example a roof-space conversion
Along with a full plans application, you must provide duplicate copies of the full construction drawings of your proposals, a location map, an estimated cost of works and the fee for the application. This is paid in two parts, the plan fee when you make your application and an inspection fee when the work starts.
We then assess the plans and aim to deal with your application as promptly as possible. Your application will then either be approved, rejected or you will be asked for more information.
Approved – We will send you/your agent approval documents which include a ‘notice of approval’ and a stamped, approved copy of your drawings.
Rejected – We will send you/your agent a rejection notice. The notice will list the reasons for rejecting your application and will give details of the appeals procedure. Rejection may be because, for example, your application does not contain enough information or detail, has design problems, or does not cover fire-safety issues correctly. New drawings/designs correcting any issues needs to be submitted before your application can be approved.
Full plans application form and guidance notes:
A Building Notice application can be used for works of a minor nature to domestic dwellings without the submission of fully designed plans.
The use of a Building Notice cannot be used for:
- the erection of a new dwelling
- the change of use from an existing dwelling
- an extension of a domestic dwelling where the floor area is increased by more than 10m²
- an extension to create a new storey in a dwelling (roof space conversion) which will be accessed by a fixed stair
- commercial or industrial work
Although fully designed drawings are not necessarily always required with a Building Notice application, we may ask for information such as structural calculations or thermal performance specifications to ensure that the proposed works meet the requirements of the Building Regulations.
We will issue a completion certificate for the works following the satisfactory assessment and completion of the works on site confirming their compliance with the building regulations.
Building notice application form and guidance notes:
Suitable when work has already been carried out to a property but building regulations approval had not been applied for before it was done. The work is inspected to ensure it meets the building regulations that were in place at the time it was carried out and if it does a regularisation certificate (retrospective approval) is issued.
Please note: the fee for a regularisation certificate is 20% more than it would have been if you had applied for approval for the work before it was started.
Submit an online Building Control application here.
Regularisation application form and guidance notes: