Do I need permission?
Depending on what you plan to do to your property or site
determines whether you will need planning permission. The national
planning portal website states that "planning permission, in simple
terms, is like asking if you can do a certain piece of building
work". To ask if you can do a certain piece of work, you send a
planning application to the council to determine. Planning
applications cover a vast array of different types of development
and as such, there are several different types of permission you can ask
for.
For the vast majority of applications, particularly applications
for work on your house, a householder application will be required.
However, some work can be done under what is known as permitted
development. This is where planning permission is automatically
granted, so you don't have to apply to the council. To see if you
need planning permission or whether the work you are proposing is
permitted development, visit the interactive guides (below) on
the national Planning Portal website. These are interactive
diagrams that will show you what types of development
requires permission. If you have any questions, you can call the
Duty Officer on 01234 718069, or email planning@bedford.gov.uk.
After you have checked the
Interactive Information Guides or called the Planning
Department follow the appropriate link below for further
information.