So, your planning application has been approved. Fantastic!

Before you pop the champagne or book a builder, there’s something important you need to check: the planning conditions. 

These are not just small print or optional extras. They are legal requirements, and if you don’t meet them at the right time, your build could be delayed, penalised, or even forced to stop altogether. 

Let’s walk through what planning conditions are, why they matter, and how you can handle them properly. 

WHAT ARE PLANNING CONDITIONS? 

When your local council grants planning permission, they often attach conditions to that approval. These are specific rules you must follow to make your project acceptable in planning terms. 

There are typically three types: 

1. 1. Pre-commencement conditions
      You must meet these before any building work starts, including site clearance or digging foundations. 

1. 1. Pre-occupation conditions
      These must be fulfilled before anyone can move into or use the finished space. 

1. 1. Ongoing or permanent conditions
      These apply during or after construction, such as using specific materials, keeping a hedge intact, or maintaining parking arrangements. 

Each condition is listed in your decision notice from the council. If you haven’t fully read it yet, now is the time.

Why Do They Matter? 

Because if you fail to discharge a condition, your entire planning permission becomes non-compliant. Your project’s approval is only partial until the conditions are discharged.

That means: 

• • The council can issue enforcement action, even after the work is complete 

• • You could be required to remove or change the works done

• • You may struggle to sell or remortgage your home 

• • Future applications may be rejected due to past non-compliance 

Some conditions can be discharged after work begins, but many must be discharged before you start anything on site. Getting this wrong is a common and expensive mistake. 

How Do I Discharge a Condition? 

Discharging a condition means submitting the required information to your local council and getting formal written approval, through a special kind of application.

Here’s how the process works: 

1. 1. Review your decision notice
      It will list all the conditions, usually in numbered format and with specific details or instructions. 

1. 1. Identify which ones need to be discharged
      Pre-commencement ones are the priority. 

1. 1. Prepare the required documents
      This might include: 

1. 1. Technical drawings (e.g. drainage or material layouts) 

1. 1. Details of materials (e.g. roof tiles, brick types, product specifications/samples) 

1. 1. Environmental or ecological assessments 

1. 1. Construction method statements 

1. 1. Tree protection plans 

1. 1. Lighting schemes or landscaping layouts 

Many of these can be included in your technical design package, together with building regulations drawings, which is why it’s smart to start both processes in parallel. 

4. 4. Submit a formal “Discharge of Conditions” application
      This goes to the local planning authority, either via the Planning Portal or directly. 

4. 4. Wait for confirmation
      The council will review and validate the submission, and has 8 weeks to assess and respond. 

4. 4. Keep written evidence of approval
      This protects you if issues arise later. 

How Much Does It Cost? 

The council charges a small fee for each discharge application: 

💷 £86 per submission for householder projects
(You can discharge multiple conditions in one go) 

Note: You don’t have to discharge all conditions at once. You can make multiple applications as your project progresses, but this takes time so preparing ahead is essential. 

Can I Just Start Building Without Discharging? 

Short answer: No. 

If you start work before discharging pre-commencement conditions, your planning permission is effectively void, and the council could: 

• • Serve a stop notice to halt the build 

• • Require you to undo work already done 

• • Refuse to sign off future planning or building control approvals 

We’ve seen homeowners who built entire extensions without checking conditions, only to find they were required to use a different brick, move a tree, or install a privacy screen. Fixing it afterwards is far harder and more costly than getting it right from the start. 

When Should I Begin the Process? 

Ideally, you should start addressing planning conditions immediately after planning permission is granted. 

Why? 

• • Some conditions are linked to your building control drawings 

• • Discharging takes 8+ weeks, which can hold up your timeline 

• • Builders don’t usually spot these conditions but the council will 

• • Delays at this stage ripple through the rest of the project 

Can My Architect Help? 

Absolutely. At Tholos Architects, we routinely review our clients’ decision notices and: 

• • Identify which conditions apply 

• • Advise on which need to be discharged early 

• • Prepare and coordinate the required technical documents 

• • Submit discharge applications on your behalf 

• • Liaise with the planning department if any issues arise 

We integrate this into your building regulations and construction drawings, saving you time, hassle and unnecessary back-and-forth. We also prepare, submit and oversee the discharge application for you.

In Summary 

Still Unsure? 

If you are staring at a list of planning conditions and wondering what half of them even mean, don’t worry. Most people are in the same boat. 

📞 Book a free 30-minute consultation
We’ll help you understand what your conditions mean, when to discharge them, and how to avoid costly mistakes – no pressure, no jargon.