Yes. You can submit your own planning application, but you must choose the correct route and provide the required forms, plans, certificates and fee. The system allows applications by applicants themselves or through an agent. [1][2]
What submitting it yourself involves
Completing the online form is only one part of the job. The application must explain the development and satisfy the relevant national and local information requirements. A location plan and the drawings necessary to describe the proposal form part of the statutory requirements for a planning application. [2][3]
You do not have to own every part of the application site to apply, but ownership certificates and notification requirements still apply. This matters particularly where the proposal involves a leasehold property, shared access or land belonging to someone else. [2]
A practical submission sequence
- Identify the correct council, application type and site boundary. Keep a short written description of all proposed works and uses.
- Obtain the current checklist for that application type. Mark which items apply and why any conditional item is not relevant.
- Prepare consistent existing and proposed drawings. Check dimensions, scales, drawing numbers and revisions before uploading.
- Complete the ownership and other declarations accurately, arrange any required notices, and confirm the correct application fee.
- Review the complete submission as a single package, rather than checking each file in isolation. Save the submitted version and the acknowledgement. [1][3][4]
A complete submission enables validation; the council then assesses whether the proposal should be approved. Validation and the planning assessment are separate stages. [2]
When help is particularly useful
Use the scope of the project to decide where specialist input is needed. Someone comfortable with the form may still need accurate survey drawings or a technical assessment. The council's information requirements, rather than the applicant's preferred submission method, determine what evidence is necessary. [2][4]
A sensible approach is to separate the tasks: design, drawing production, planning justification, specialist evidence and administration. Decide who is responsible for each. This avoids assuming that a person handling the upload has also checked every technical point.
Stay involved after submission
Keep the application reference, validation correspondence and decision deadline together. If further information or revised drawings are requested, establish exactly what is needed before changing the package. Council procedures explain how a valid application moves into consultation and assessment. [5]
When an agent is appointed, agree who receives correspondence and who can authorise design changes or extra reports. Ask for the final submitted documents and decision notice. The practical objective is the same whether you submit personally or use an agent: a complete, accurate application and a clear record of what was considered.