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.
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.
Our planning office, located at
Bridgewater House,
23a Castlewellan Road,
Banbridge,
Co. Down
BT32 4AX
Opening from 9.30am – 4.30pm on Mon – Wed & Fri and from 10.30am – 4.30pm on Thursday. From here you can pick up an application form, submit a completed application, pay fees and check the status of an application.
Planning queries should be directed to 0300 200 7830 or
However, should you have difficulty in getting through on the 0300 phone number, and you know the name of the planning officer you wish to contact, they can be emailed directly. Planning Officers Email Addresses
The type, size and complexity of an application will determine how a decision is made. There are three ways in which a decision can be made:
- Our Planning Committee will consider all major applications and others it feels may be of significance for the council area.
- A planning officer may have the authority to determine smaller, more straightforward applications.
- The Department for Infrastructure will make decisions that have regional significance.
Our Scheme of Delegation document sets out full details.
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| Scheme of Delegation | 106.28 KB | DownloadPreview |
| Planning Protocol | 745.79 KB | DownloadPreview |
| Interim Protocol & Summary Guidance - 11.06.20 | 233.43 KB | DownloadPreview |
- 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.
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
Our application checklists enable customers to submit all necessary information from the outset to enable us to process your development proposal in a timely manner.
All customers should use the Basic Validation Checklist to ensure that the minimum requirement as set out in legislation has been adhered to. The Basic Validation Checklist is a tool used to ensure that the description, location, form, fee and plans/drawings have been appropriately provided. Customers should forward the Basic Validation Checklist with all new submissions.
In addition to basic legislative validation requirements, customers are advised that additional validation requirements are required for supporting information where necessary. Having supporting information submitted at the outset will enable us to process your development proposal in a timely manner.
The Advanced Validation Checklist provides details of when supporting information may be required. The Advanced Validation Checklist Notes provide clarification to customers when supporting information is required.
Where is it deemed essential that supporting information is necessary from the outset and is not provided we will contact you to advise you, granting 14 days to remedy the shortfall. If the supporting information is not submitted within that timeframe, we shall return your submission to you to afford you the opportunity to resubmit when all necessary information has been correlated.
The Advanced Validation requirements are being phased in over the coming year and as of 1st July 2021 are only applicable to
- Proposals within the Major category of development
- All renewable proposals
- Residential schemes 25 units and above
Those customers whose proposal falls within the above threshold should use the Advanced Validation Checklist and Notes to screen their proposal. The Advanced Validation Checklist should be submitted along with your submission.
Applications within the above threshold should submit proposals electronically to
Please click for further information and advice on Electronic Submissions.
For further clarification please contact the Duty Planner or email the Service Review Officer at for assistance
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.
If you’d like to speak to our planning committee about a planning application. You will need to have the application reference number and you must submit the request before mid-day 2 days before the committee meeting.
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| Speaking Rights at Council | 225.66 KB | DownloadPreview |
| Running Order | 16.23 KB | DownloadPreview |
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.
Suitable for work on domestic and non-domestic properties. Some minor work to domestic properties may be covered by a building notice application.
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.
Regularisation application form and guidance notes: