Online maps are a starting point: Epping Forest District Council, for example, warns that its application records may be incomplete and some older records no longer exist. [1]
Find the correct property and application records
Search the address and use the map to check the site location. Where the property has been divided, renumbered or renamed, ask the council whether records sit under an earlier address. Download the relevant decision notices, approved drawings and any later approvals of details.
Create a short history with the reference, description, decision, drawing revisions and unresolved questions for each proposal. Ask the adviser to distinguish what was approved from what appears to have been built. Do not substitute a photograph of the current building for evidence of the permission or its conditions.
Read the conditions, not only the decision
Earlier permissions can contain conditions restricting permitted development rights. An Article 4 direction is another mechanism for withdrawing specified rights in a defined area. The wording and scope matter; do not rely on a general statement that the house “has permitted development”. [2]
Give the designer the whole decision notice and ask which conditions affect the new proposal. Keep a separate list of any evidence needed to establish compliance with previous approvals.
Check the constraint layers
The council's policy map can identify local designations. Kensington and Chelsea's guidance points applicants to mapped planning constraints, while Epping Forest's map includes conservation areas, listed and locally listed buildings, flood zones and protected trees. Use the council responsible for your actual site. [3] [1]
Cross-check national listing on Historic England's National Heritage List for England. The Environment Agency's flood map for planning provides planning-related flood information and helps identify whether a Flood Risk Assessment is needed. [4] [5]
For each relevant layer, record its name, source and checked date. Ask the adviser what additional document or assessment follows from it. A map symbol identifies an issue to examine; it is not a design solution or consent.
Use the current policy documents
The current NPPF was published on 17 August 2026. Use that edition and its policy references rather than copying old paragraph numbers from a previous application. [6]
For London projects, the draft replacement London Plan is under consultation until 15 October 2026. It remains a draft, not an adopted replacement; ask the planning adviser to distinguish adopted policy from emerging proposals. [7]
Keep title and building control checks separate
Planning records do not replace the ownership documents. HM Land Registry's title register can identify covenants and rights or refer to other documents containing them. Building regulations approval is also a separate process from planning permission. [8] [9]
Finish with a dated constraints summary and an explicit list of gaps. Where the council record or legal position is unclear, resolve the missing evidence before presenting an assumption as a confirmed development opportunity.