Planning hub
Ask the right questions before work starts.
Find official resources and prepare a useful checklist. This tool does not determine whether permission is needed or granted.
Find your authority
Use the official postcode-based council finder, then follow the council’s planning and building control links. Check that it is the authority responsible for your site.
Find my council ↗Your postcode is entered on GOV.UK, not sent by this page.
View decisions and constraints
The council register is the source for local application documents and decisions. England’s planning data map provides additional datasets, but absence of a feature is not proof that no restriction applies.
Choose the right UK planning system
England
Official planning guidance and links to the other national systems.
Wales
Welsh Government planning information.
Scotland
Scottish planning guidance and application routes.
Northern Ireland
Official access to the planning portal.
Your pre-project checklist
Site and constraints
Confirm the address, boundaries, ownership, listed status, conservation restrictions and any planning conditions. Ask about trees, drainage, access and party-wall considerations where relevant.
Scope and permissions
Describe proposed use, size and external changes. Ask the authority which consents and drawings it needs. Do not rely on a directory description or an illustrative room sketch.
Keep the evidence
Save official advice, references, decisions and professional drawings in your private project files. Record conditions and responsibilities before agreeing the start date.
Links reviewed 2026-10-15. External services may change. Check4Trade is independent of councils and government services.