Planning Permission

Do I need planning permission?

If you are thinking of making alterations or improvements or if you have a development proposal, you should check whether you need planning permission from the Council before you begin. If you are thinking of submitting an application, you should determine whether the development is for a National, Major or Local development - different scales of development have to go through different procedures. You can find more information in the Hierarchy of Development. 

Please Note that these categories only apply to applications for planning permission, other application types e.g. applications for Listed Building Consent, or Express Consent, etc are not included in the "Hierarchy" of developments.

Householder Applications

Some development won't need a formal application for planning permission; this is known as 'Permitted Development'. You can check if your alterations are 'Permitted Development' using the Scottish Government's Guidance on Householders Permitted Development Rights.

Extra controls apply if your property is in a Conservation Area or if it is a Listed Building. Certain Local developments in particularly sensitive areas, (including conservation areas or within the curtilage of a category A listed building - there are more, but these are the most likely in Glasgow), may also require a Design Statement.  Further design guidance for applications relating to Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas can be found in SG9: Historic Environment.

There is a property search facility on the Council's website where you can check whether your property is listed or in a conservation area.

If you think your building work might be 'Permitted Development' and you would like written confirmation of the planning status of your proposal, you can apply for a 'Certificate of Lawfulness for a Proposed Use'. This is a legal document (for which there is a fee), which provides confirmation that your development is permitted. You can apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness Online.

To find out which City Plan policies may apply to a development proposal you have, more information can be found in our Supplementary Guidance.

Non-householder Applications

If you have a new development proposal for a site or property which is not a domestic dwelling, the proposed development may be "permitted development" which may not need planning permission. The types of development and are set out in Scottish Government Advice.

Major, National or Local Applications

If you are thinking of submitting an application, you should determine whether the development is for a National, Major or Local development - different scales of development have to go through different procedures. National developments are included in the National Planning Framework 4. Major developments are detailed in Appendix 1 to this report. Further advice on the hierarchy can be found in the Scottish Government : Non Domestic Permitted Development Rights.

If you are uncertain, you may apply to the Council for confirmation on which category of development you are considering submitting. This is known as a Request for a Screening Opinion. The Council has 21 days to let you know whether it has enough information to decide which category of development you are proposing, or, if it has enough information, to confirm in which category your proposed development falls. Note that these categories only apply to applications for planning permission - other application types e.g. applications for Listed Building Consent, or Express Consent, etc - are not included in the "Hierarchy" of developments.

If the scale of your development is National or Major, you will be required to undertake pre-application consultation with the community.  At least 12 weeks before you submit the planning application for it, you must serve a  Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) on the Council. There's no requirement to undertake formal Pre-Application Consultation for Local developments, but determining community views on a proposed development at an early stage is often a good idea. If you undertake PAC for a Local development, you don't have to submit a PAN or wait 12 weeks before submitting the application

Works Without Consent

Have you carried out work without planning permission, or work that is not approved in your planning permission?

Retrospective Application for Planning Permission or Other Consents

If works have been undertaken without permission, but would have been likely to have been granted permission, the Council can invite a 'retrospective' planning application or other appropriate application, such as listed building consent, to be submitted. This will then be assessed and decided in the same way as all other planning applications.

In some circumstances, it is possible the works may not have required planning permission.  In this case, an application for a certificate of lawfulness for existing use or development will confirm the planning status of the works.

Certificate of Lawfulness for Existing Use or Development

A certificate of lawfulness for existing use or development is essentially a remedy for when building works have been undertaken in the past or where, for a number of years, a development or use has existed without conforming with a Planning condition.  A certificate of lawfulness allows the Council to make a formal decision that the development or use may continue without enforcement action.

An application for a Certificate of Lawfulness for an existing use or development can be made when the owner discovers, in the course of selling the land or property, that planning permission was never given for the development, and they need to show possible buyers that the planning authority cannot take enforcement action.

Certificates of lawfulness are not relevant to situations where planning controls which apply to a listed building or conservation area may have not have been complied with.

If you would like more information, please contact the Duty Planner via the Planning Enquiry Form

Please note that if your development does not require planning permission you might need a Building Warrant. Further information can be found on the Building Standards and Public Safety page.

How Do I Apply?

You can Apply for Planning Permission online.

If you wish to discuss your proposals further prior to submitting an application, please use the Planning Enquiry Form to arrange a response from a planning officer.