The quickest way to apply for planning permission is online via the Planning Portal. Applying via the Planning Portal is simple, and can help you save on printing and postal costs.
Delays of up to two weeks will be avoided as your application will reach us immediately.
You can apply by post however it may take up to two weeks longer to process these applications than online applications.
Before making an application, you are strongly advised to seek pre-application advice. This can be particularly useful if you are not a building professional.
Our advice will help you avoid the pitfalls and ensure your application gets approved first time when possible, saving time and money. We also highly recommend this service for the more complex or ambitious planning projects.
The approval process
We have eight weeks (or 13 weeks for major applications) to determine if your application is valid.
To get your permission as quickly as possible, you will need to ensure that all the plans, documents and the fee are correct first time.
For more information on what is required, please download the:
Please note that from 16th November 2020 additional information will be required when submitting new Planning Applications.
Agents
Most residents prefer to use an agent to make sure that they submit the right information. The council cannot recommend agents but will be putting a list of agents who attend our forums on the website shortly.
Householder Applications
For guidance on Householder Applications e.g. extensions and House Conversions, please download the Residential Design Guide.
Extending planning permissions and listed building consents
The Business and Planning Act 2020 temporarily modifies the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. It enables certain planning permissions and listed building consents in England which have lapsed or are due to lapse during 2020 to be extended.
Unimplemented planning permissions with time limits for implementation which were due to lapse between 19 August 2020 and 31 December 2020 are extended to 1 May 2021. This happens automatically.
In addition, unimplemented planning permissions with time limits for implementation which passed between 23 March 2020 and 19 August 2020 are also restored, and the time limit extended to 1 May 2021, subject to Additional Environmental Approval being granted.
For government guidance on this subject see Extension of certain planning permissions guidance.
Should you wish to make an application for Additional Environmental Approval, please take note of the guidance in the above link and send your application to Extensionoftime@harrow.gov.uk.
Modification of planning conditions relating to construction working hours
The aim of the new temporary fast track deemed consent route under section 74B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is to enable urgent changes to construction working hours to support safe construction working in line with the government’s latest social distancing guidance on construction and other outdoor work.
For many construction sites, implementation of this guidance will require changes to working practices, including staggered starts and finishes, requiring different hours of operation to those which are currently permitted for the site through planning conditions.
For government guidance on this subject see Guidance: modification of planning conditions relating to construction working hours.
Should you wish to make an application to modify a condition relating to construction working hours, please take note of the guidance in the above link and send your application to Constructionhours.planning@harrow.gov.uk.