Planning permission. Just those two words are enough to make most people feel anxious about starting a new build project. And honestly? That anxiety isn’t entirely unwarranted. London’s planning system is complex; each borough does things slightly differently, and a poorly prepared application can cost you months and thousands of pounds.

But here’s the thing — it doesn’t have to be that way. With the right preparation and the right people around you, getting planning permission for a new build in London is a process you can navigate. We’ve done it across all 33 boroughs, and we’ve seen firsthand what makes applications succeed and what makes them fail.

This guide is written for you — the homeowner or developer trying to make sense of it all — not for planners or architects who already know the rules.

So What Actually Is Planning Permission?

In simple terms, planning permission is the formal go-ahead from your local council to build something new or significantly change what’s already there.

Its job isn’t to make your life difficult. It exists to make sure new buildings fit in with the neighbourhood around them, don’t cause problems for nearby residents, and meet the environmental and design standards your borough has set.

For almost any new build home in London — whether you’re replacing an old property, developing a plot, or building from the ground up — you’ll need it. There are very limited circumstances where you wouldn’t, and a full new dwelling isn’t usually one of them.

If you’re in a conservation area or near a listed building, you can expect additional scrutiny beyond the standard process. It’s not impossible — but it does require more careful preparation.

Does Every New Build Need Planning Permission?

The short answer is yes, in almost every case.

You’ll need to apply if you’re:

• Building a brand-new home on a plot of land
• Demolishing an existing house to replace it with a new one
• Splitting a plot to create an additional home
• Changing the use of land to residential

Even a straightforward replacement — knocking down one house and building another of similar size — still requires a full planning application. Don’t assume that because you’re not increasing the footprint or height, you can skip the process.

Already been told you might not need permission? Get a second opinion before you start. Permitted development rules don’t usually apply to entirely new dwellings, and acting without the right approval can mean demolishing work you’ve already paid for. It’s a conversation worth having before a single brick is laid.

Why London Is Different From Everywhere Else

London isn’t one planning authority — it’s 33 of them.

Each borough has its own Local Plan, design expectations, and priorities for housing development. What sails through in one borough can be refused in the next, even if the two streets are practically side by side.

Some boroughs are actively trying to increase housing supply and are more receptive to new residential development. Others are focused on protecting neighbourhood character and will push back hard on anything that feels out of place.

What this means for you: the borough where your site sits matters enormously. Before you get architects involved or spend money on drawings, it’s worth understanding your specific borough’s planning stance.

A few things that vary significantly across London:

• How strictly are design and materials controlled
• Conservation area boundaries and what they restrict
• Parking requirements and how they’re assessed
• Attitudes to building height and density
• How much weight is given to neighbouring objections

This is one of the reasons local experience counts for a lot. Knowing what a specific council has and hasn’t approved recently is genuinely useful — and it’s knowledge that only comes from working there.

What the Planning Process Actually Looks Like

Here’s a realistic picture of what happens from the point you have a site to the point you have permission.

1. Work Out What’s Feasible

Before any drawings are produced, a good architect or planning consultant will look at your site and tell you what type of development is likely to get through. This means reviewing planning history, checking local policy and identifying any constraints — conservation areas, listed buildings, and existing planning conditions.

This stage saves money. It’s far cheaper to adjust your ambitions now than after you’ve paid for detailed drawings.

2. Develop the Design

Once you have a clear picture of what’s achievable, the architect produces the drawings — floor plans, elevations, site layout, street views. A design and access statement is also prepared, which explains the design’s rationale and why it’s appropriate for the site.

The aim here is simple: show the council that the proposed building is the right building for that location.

3. Submit the Application

The full application goes to the borough council along with the drawings, planning statement, any required supporting reports, and the application fee.

Fees vary by project scale. For a new dwelling, you’re typically looking at several hundred pounds — but this is a small part of the overall cost and not where to cut corners.

4. Public Consultation

Once the application is validated, the council notifies neighbours and invites feedback. This is standard and doesn’t mean your application is in trouble — but it does mean a poorly designed or inconsiderate scheme is more likely to attract objections that influence the outcome.

5. The Decision

Most local authorities aim to decide within 8 to 13 weeks. Complex applications or those that attract significant objections can take longer.

The possible outcomes are approval, approval with conditions, or refusal. If it’s refused, you can revise and resubmit or appeal — but both take time and money. Getting the application right the first time is always better.

What Gets Applications Into Trouble

Having worked through planning across dozens of London new build projects, we see the same issues come up repeatedly.

Impact on the neighbours

Councils take this seriously. If your proposed building overshadows an adjacent garden, looks directly into a neighbour’s bedroom, or blocks daylight from a nearby property, you’ll likely be asked to change it. This isn’t unusual — it’s part of the process — but it’s far less disruptive if you design with it in mind from the start.

Not fitting the street

‘Complementing the surroundings’ doesn’t mean copying what’s already there. But the scale, materials, and proportions of your new build need to feel like they belong on that street. Contemporary designs can get through — but they need to be well-argued and well-designed.

Inadequate access or parking

In areas with controlled parking zones, new developments need to demonstrate they won’t make an already difficult situation worse. This is a specific London challenge that catches out developers who haven’t worked here before.

Thin sustainability credentials

London planning policy increasingly expects new builds to show strong environmental performance — energy efficiency, sustainable materials, and so on. This isn’t something to bolt on at the end. It needs to be considered in the design from day one.

How to Give Your Application the Best Chance

• Use professionals with genuine local experience — not just London experience generally, but experience in your specific borough. What’s worked in Hackney won’t necessarily work in Richmond.
• Look at what’s been approved nearby. Planning portals are public. Searching similar applications in your area gives you a real picture of what the council has said yes to — and what it hasn’t.
• Consider pre-application advice. Many boroughs offer a paid consultation with a planning officer before you submit. It costs money upfront but can save significant time and redesign costs later.
• Design for the neighbours, not just for yourself. A scheme that makes clear effort to minimise impact on adjacent properties is far more likely to get through — and far less likely to generate objections that slow everything down.
• Don’t rush the submission. A well-prepared application that answers the council’s likely questions before they ask them is always better than a fast one that leaves gaps.

What Happens Once You Have Permission

Planning permission is the green light — but it’s not the finish line. Once it’s granted, the project moves into the next phase: building regulations approval, structural design, construction drawings, and contractor appointment.

This transition matters. The quality of your construction planning at this stage determines whether the project runs smoothly or starts racking up costs and delays. It’s worth making sure whoever takes on the build has sight of the planning conditions from the start — some conditions have to be discharged before construction begins, and missing them creates problems later.

The Honest Summary

Planning permission feels like an obstacle. And sometimes it is slow, frustrating, and unpredictable.

But most of the time, the applications that fail are the ones that weren’t prepared well enough, didn’t take local policy seriously, or underestimated the impact on neighbours.

The ones that succeed are the ones where someone did the groundwork properly — reviewed the borough’s stance, designed a building that could justify itself, and submitted an application that answered the obvious questions upfront.

It’s not a lottery. It’s a process. And like most processes, it goes a lot better when you know what you’re doing.

At New Build Contractors, we work alongside architects and planners on new build projects across London from the earliest stages. If you’re trying to work out what’s possible on your site — or just want a realistic sense of what the planning process looks like for your specific project — we’re happy to talk it through.

Thinking about a new build in London? Book a free consultation with our team. We’ll assess your site, give you an honest view of what’s achievable, and explain exactly what the planning process looks like for your specific project. No obligation.