PLANNING ESSENTIALS
What is permission in principle?
Mike Dade reveals how this little-known route to gaining planning could unlock the path to realising your dream self build home
Above: If you’re looking to infill or create a new house at the edge of a settlement, permission in principle could be a quick and cost-effective route to establishing whether you’re likely to gain consent
The government is on something of a mission to shake up the planning status quo and try to enable delivery of more, better-quality homes. One initiative that’s gone somewhat under the radar is permission in principle (PIP). This is an alternative route to securing planning consent in England that exists alongside the well-established detailed and outline planning approval procedures.
PIP was introduced in 2018 but doesn’t seem to have seen much take-up since. In some situations, however, it can offer advantages for self builders over the more established routes to planning. So, what exactly is permission in principle, how does it work and when might it make sense for your project?
Basics
The permission in principle regime applies primarily to housing schemes of nine or less units, so it’s directly applicable to one-off projects and smaller multi-unit self or custom build schemes. It was introduced by the government as a way to encourage self build and the SME (small to medium enterprise) builder market.