Phase 1 · Planning & Permissions · Task 07 of 17
Submitting a Planning Application: The Full Process
How to submit a householder planning application in England. Covers the £548 fee, required drawings, Planning Portal submission, the 8-week decision timeline, and what to do if refused.
The most common reason planning applications stall has nothing to do with your extension design. It's missing paperwork. An incomplete submission doesn't get refused. It gets sent back as invalid, and the 8-week determination clock doesn't start until the council accepts it as complete. Homeowners who assume their architect has submitted everything sometimes discover two or three weeks later that the application hasn't even entered the system.
Here's the practical process: what goes into a householder planning application, how to submit it, what it costs, and what happens between clicking "submit" and receiving your decision.
Do this first
By now you've already established that your extension needs planning permission. If you haven't, work through Do You Need Planning Permission? and Permitted Development Rules first.
What Goes Into the Application
A householder planning application has six components. Miss any one and the council will bounce it back as invalid.
1. The application form
The standard householder application form covers the basics: your name, the site address, a description of the proposed work, and declarations about ownership, trees, access, and drainage. If you have an architect, they fill this in as part of their service. If you're submitting yourself through the Planning Portal, the form is built into the online process and you complete it as you go. See our Planning Portal guide for a walkthrough of the system.
One thing to watch: the ownership certificate. Every application requires one. If you own the property outright and nobody else has an interest in the land, you sign Certificate A. If someone else has a legal interest (a mortgage lender doesn't count, but a shared-ownership arrangement does), you need Certificate B and must notify them. Get this wrong and the application is invalid.
2. Location plan
A map at 1:1250 or 1:2500 scale showing your property in its wider context. It must be a licensed Ordnance Survey extract with a north arrow and your site outlined in red. You can't use a screenshot from Google Maps. See our guide to purchasing OS maps for a provider comparison, prices range from £10 – £40 depending on where you buy.
3. Site plan (block plan)
A closer view at 1:200 or 1:500 scale showing your property boundaries, the existing building footprint, and where the proposed extension sits relative to those boundaries. This needs to show the relationship with neighbouring buildings, access points, and trees.
If you have an architect, they produce this as part of their drawings. The OS map data forms the base, and they overlay the proposed works. If you're doing this yourself, you need to draw the extension accurately to scale on the OS base map.
4. Floor plans and elevations
Planning drawings showing what you want to build. These include:
- Existing and proposed floor plans showing the internal layout before and after
- Existing and proposed elevations showing every external face of the building affected by the extension
- Sections (if there are significant level changes) showing a vertical slice through the building
These need to be drawn to a conventional metric scale (typically 1:50 or 1:100) with the original paper size noted. Most homeowners use an architect for this, see Finding an Architect for guidance on when you need one. It is possible to draw your own plans (hand-drawn is accepted if accurate and to scale), but the council needs to understand exactly what you're proposing. The planning officer may visit your site without contacting you and will assess the proposal against what's on these drawings.
5. Design and access statement
Some councils require a design and access statement explaining the design thinking behind the extension and how it relates to the existing building and streetscape. Not all householder applications need one, but check your council's local validation requirements. If it's needed and you don't include it, the application is invalid.
6. The fee
Two separate payments. The council application fee goes to your local planning authority. The Planning Portal service charge goes to the Portal itself for processing the online submission.
£548
The householder planning application fee in England. This is the council fee alone. Add the Planning Portal service charge, OS maps, and your architect's submission fee on top.
Here's what the full submission costs:
The council fee is set nationally and increases each April linked to CPI (capped at 10%). The April 2026 figure applies to applications submitted before the next increase. Planning Portal goes offline at 17:00 on 31 March each year for the fee changeover, so don't leave your submission to the last day of the financial year.
Tip
The council application fee is the same whether you submit online or by post. But the Planning Portal's £91 service charge only applies to online submissions. Submitting by post avoids that charge, though almost nobody does it anymore because the online process is faster and gives you a tracking reference.
If you're in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, the fees are different: £190 (Wales), £300 (Scotland), or £347 (Northern Ireland).
How to Submit via the Planning Portal
If you have an architect, they usually handle the submission. But whether you're submitting yourself or checking your architect's work, you should understand the process. You're the applicant, you're paying, and you need to make sure everything is included before it goes in.
Register on the Planning Portal
Create an account at planningportal.co.uk if you don't have one. If you have an architect, they may submit under their own account on your behalf, which is standard practice. Either way, make sure you have login access to track the application's progress.
Select the correct application type
The option you want is "Householder planning consent". That's the application type for alterations and additions to a single dwelling, and it carries the standard householder fee. Full planning permission and prior approval are different processes with different fees, so don't select those by mistake.
Complete the application form
Work through the online form section by section. The Portal asks for the site address, a description of works, ownership certificate details, and questions about trees, parking, drainage, and materials. Answer accurately. Vague or incorrect answers can delay validation.
Upload your documents
Attach the location plan, site plan, floor plans, elevations, sections, and any supporting statements. File formats matter: PDF is standard. Check that drawings are legible and to the correct scale when printed. The council will reject uploads that aren't readable.
Pay the fees
The Portal collects both the council application fee and its own service charge in a single transaction. Payment is by card. You'll receive a confirmation email with your application reference number.
Submit and save your reference
Once submitted, you get a reference number (typically formatted as your council code followed by a sequential number). Save this. You'll need it to track progress, and your builder will need it later when applying for building control.
For a full walkthrough of the Portal, registration, navigation, and common pitfalls, see our Planning Portal guide.
What this guide covers
- 01What Happens After You Submit
- 02Reading Your Decision Notice
- 03If Your Application Is Refused
- 04Planning Permission Validity
- 05Fee Refund
- 06Pulling It All Together
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