Approved
You now have planning permission for the work you want to do. This planning permission will last for three years from the decision date. If you do not start the development within this time, the permission will expire and you will need to reapply with a full application.

It is your responsibility to make sure that your development is built in line with the approved plans. You must let us know if you make any changes to the plans before you start building. For minor changes, you should send us a letter, giving details of the changes. We will write to you to let you know if we approve these changes. For major changes, such as an increase in size, you will need to submit a new application.

You may need to apply for building regulation approval for the work you want to do. This is separate from planning approval, and is to do with the construction itself. See our Building Control pages for more information.

Approved with conditions
This means that we've given you permission to do the work but only if you meet certain conditions we've placed on the permission. The conditions will depend on the type of development but generally deal with things such as:

• the type of materials, lighting and landscaping you are planning to use
• how you will manage the building process in terms of noise, hours of work and storage on site
• access and parking on site; and
• environmental and sustainability issues

We will clearly describe all of the conditions in the decision notice. Your case officer will be able to give you further advice on these. In most cases, you will need to show us how you will meet the conditions before you start the work. For more simple matters, such as agreeing the building materials you will use, we will aim to make a full decision or will ask for more information within 14 working days of receiving any sample materials. If a case is more complicated, for example reaching an agreement about landscaping on the site, we will aim to issue a full decision on the conditions within 8 weeks. We will 'discharge' any conditions when they have been met and work must not start on site until this has happened.

Approved with Section 106 agreement
A section 106 legal agreement is a more formal way for us to make that, for example, you meet certain conditions when you develop your site. The requirements that are covered by legal agreements vary quite a lot. For example, if you are a homeowner, we may ask you to enter into an agreement to demolish an old garage before you build a new one. A very different example is asking a housing developer for a financial contribution towards the provision of recreational facilities in the local area.

In most cases, we will not give a final decision on your application until the legal agreement has been signed.

Refused
If we refuse your application, you can do one of the following:

• Ask us to suggest changes
  We are happy to suggest changes if we feel that these will lead to a successful decision. You will need to make a second application for planning permission.
• Appeal to the Planning Inspectorate within three months of the decision
  If you want to appeal against our decision, you will need to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate (this page opens in a new window). The Planning Inspectorate will investigate the case and make a decision on your application. Read our Can I appeal against a decision? page for more information.

Planning enquiries
Guildford Borough council
Millmead House
Millmead
Guildford
Surrey
GU2 4BP

Tel: 01483 444609
Email: planningenquiries@guildford.gov.uk