Planning permission alone is not a complete start-on-site clearance: planning conditions and building control have separate requirements. [1] [2]
Check the permission and the proposed start
Use the decision notice and its approved drawings, not an earlier design or an officer's informal email. Ask the designer to identify any condition that prevents commencement or restricts a particular stage. Starting contrary to a valid pre-commencement condition can be unlawful. [1]
Where the scheme relies on permitted development instead of an express permission, have the precise route, conditions and evidence checked. “No planning application needed” does not remove other approvals. [3]
Ask what counts as the proposed first activity. Do not assume that excavation, demolition or other preparatory work is outside the relevant permission or notice simply because the main structure has not started.
Put the building control route in place
Confirm whether council building control, a registered building control approver or the Building Safety Regulator is the correct body. Different routes have different submissions and start requirements. GOV.UK distinguishes full plans, building notices and the private initial-notice process. [2] [4]
Ask the appointed body to confirm the applicable notification and inspection arrangements for your route. Start requirements vary: there is no universal rule that every full-plans decision must be received before any work, or that every project may start after the same short waiting period.
Resolve notices and private permissions
Where the Party Wall etc. Act applies, the relevant notice period and consent or dispute-resolution procedure must be dealt with before the notifiable work. A neighbour's silence is not a general permission to start. [5]
Check separately for any landlord consent and title restriction. A lease or restrictive covenant is not displaced by the council's planning decision. [6] [7]
Where CIL is relevant, confirm that any necessary exemption or relief has been granted and any required commencement notice is correctly dealt with. Requirements differ between an extension, annexe and new dwelling; do not treat the forms as interchangeable. [8]
Confirm that the site is ready, not just the paperwork
For a domestic project, establish who is carrying the CDM client duties: these normally pass to the contractor or principal contractor, with an alternative written arrangement possible with the principal designer. These health-and-safety roles are separate from simply booking a building control inspection. [9]
Ask for confirmation that the issued construction information, contractor, insurance, access arrangements and funding match the work being authorised. Keep a written list of unresolved items and the activities they prevent.
New homes programmed for 2027
The Future Homes Standard's main commencement date is 24 March 2027, with transitional arrangements. Specified provisions for higher-risk-building work and work to existing higher-risk buildings commence separately on 24 September 2027. A new-home project should have its applicable standards and transition position checked. This is not a blanket new deadline for ordinary extensions or alterations. [10]
Use a project-specific pre-start review. Where a legal permission or notice is disputed, obtain advice before authorising that part of the work rather than relying on the contractor's availability.