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 this guide covers
- 01What Goes Into the Application
- 02How to Submit via the Planning Portal
- 03What Happens After You Submit
- 04Reading Your Decision Notice
- 05If Your Application Is Refused
- 06Planning Permission Validity
- 07Fee Refund
- 08Pulling It All Together
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