The most common type of application is for permission, sometimes referred to as full permission. An application for full permission requires detailed plans and full particulars of the proposed development. There are circumstances when you may want to apply for outline permission. For example, you may wish to see if the planning authority agrees with your proposed development in principle but you may not wish to incur the expense of having detailed plans prepared. If you obtain outline permission, you must obtain full permission before starting work. In most cases, a subsequent application for full planning permission must be made within three years of when the outline permission was granted. Outline permission cannot be sought for: • retention of a structure, • works to a protected structure or a proposed protected structure, • developments which require an environmental impact assessment (EIA), • developments which require an integrated pollution control (IPC) licence, or • developments which require a waste licence.
