Where you have been granted full planning permission or reserved matters application following the grant of outline planning permission, you may wish to commence development to implement your planning permission within the specified time period but not be in a position to complete your development. It is often a matter of judgement as to whether or not development has commenced to implement the planning permission.
However, the following are examples of when we would consider that development had commenced in accordance with the permission granted.
- You have complied with conditions relating to works to be carried out prior to the commencement of other work, for example the construction of an access in accordance with the approved plans,
and
- you have commenced any work of construction in the course of the erection of a building, such as the digging of foundations and preferably pouring of concrete, driving piles or other substantive works;
- the laying of any underground main pipe to the foundations or part of the foundations of a building.
Where development has commenced but not completed, the onus is on you to retain any documents or records of the work carried out, such as invoices, receipts, building control approval, dated photographs, in case there is a need to demonstrate commencement of development within the time period specified on your planning permission at a later date.