Read the commencement condition
Do not assume that all permissions last for the same period. Harrow's guidance explains the normal three-year period and the need to read the permission. The relevant date is the date and condition on the decision, not the date the drawings were first prepared. [1]
For project management, record the decision date, the last date for beginning development and every earlier approval needed. Keep this visible when considering contractor availability or a long pause between planning and construction.
Outline permission has two stages of timing
For outline permission in England, the usual statutory arrangement requires applications for reserved-matters approval within three years and commencement within two years of the final reserved-matters approval. Different periods can be imposed, so read the outline permission and subsequent approvals together. [2]
An outline approval is not a substitute for reserved-matters approval. Identify which matters remain reserved and the dates attached to them before relying on the outline permission for a construction programme. [2][4]
What counts as starting?
The important issue is a lawful commencement of the authorised development, not merely arranging finance, ordering materials or deciding to proceed. Conditions requiring action before commencement can affect whether starting work preserves the permission. The position needs checking against the actual permission and work. [3]
Do not arrange token site activity as a deadline strategy without advice. Ask your adviser to identify the proposed commencement operation, the conditions that must first be met and the records needed to demonstrate what happened. Keep dated evidence and the relevant approvals together.
Can the starting deadline be extended?
Section 73 cannot be used to extend the time within which a development must begin. Do not assume a late application to vary an unrelated condition will reset an expiring permission. [5]
Where the deadline cannot be met, discuss the correct fresh-application approach before it expires. A new application is assessed under the rules and policies applicable to that decision; the old permission is not a promise of another approval. [1][6]
Beginning and completing are different questions
A condition requiring commencement within a period is not necessarily a condition requiring completion by the same date. However, check all conditions and the character of the permission rather than assuming that every approval can remain partly implemented indefinitely. [1][3]
For a property being sold or purchased, distinguish a permission that was granted from one that was lawfully commenced. Where formal confirmation of lawfulness is needed, the certificate route depends on precise facts and evidence, not just the existence of old approved drawings. [7]