Planning

Medway Council can give you general advice about whether you need to apply for planning permission and how to go about this.

The most common questions asked are about permitted development to domestic houses. For further advice, follow the link for development not needing planning permission.

Most kinds of development require planning permission. The term, development, is very broad and could mean any of the following:

• building work such as a house, factory, shop or extension;
• changing the use of buildings or land (such as dividing a house into flats or using land for a different purpose, or running a business from home;
• erecting wall, fences or other structures;
• forming a new vehicle access or hardstanding in your front house.

In addition, the council’s consent is usually required to alter a listed building, to demolish a dwellinghouse or a building within a conservation area, or to display an advertisement.

If you want specialist advice, it’s best to come into the Development Control Team office to speak to the duty officer. You will need to bring the details of the site and your proposals with you.

The council can give you information about planning policies and past decisions that affect a site and tell you what standards you must meet; for example, for spacing buildings or parking. The council will guide you regarding how long an application may take and the procedures that it goes through.

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