How to find building work from planning applications

Planning applications as a source of building work

If you run a building firm, a loft conversion company, a roofing business, a landscaping practice or an architectural studio, you probably already get most of your work through recommendations and repeat customers. Planning applications are a second source of information. Every application a council receives is published on its planning register, and each one names an address, describes what the owner wants to do and lists the documents supporting that request. Read together, those records show which nearby households are planning building work, what kind of work it is and roughly when it might start.

An application is not an enquiry. The owner has asked the council for permission, not asked you for a quote. They may already have a builder, an architect who also manages the build, or a family member who will do the work. Some applications are refused. Some are approved and then never built. Some are submitted to settle a question about a property before a sale. So the sensible way to use the register is as a research tool: it helps you decide which projects fit your services and which households you might write to, and it tells you nothing about who will win the work.

This guide explains how to read an application for clues about the work involved, how the stages of an application relate to when work might start, and how to write to a homeowner in a way that is polite and lawful. It is written for England, where planning is handled by local planning authorities under national legislation and policy. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own planning systems, terminology and registers, so use the relevant nation’s guidance if you work there. The GOV.UK page on searching planning decisions points to the register for your area.

Throughout, treat what you read as the start of your own checking. A register entry can be incomplete, a description can be loose, and drawings can change before work begins. Nothing in this guide is legal advice or a guarantee that a particular approach will produce work.

Which applications point to which trades

Councils write application descriptions in a fairly standard way, usually starting with the proposal in a short phrase: “Erection of single storey rear extension”, “Loft conversion with rear dormer”, “Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of two dwellings”. Those phrases are the quickest way to judge whether an application is relevant to you. The table below links common wording to the work it usually involves and the trades that might be needed. It is a starting guide, not a rule: the drawings and supporting documents decide what is actually proposed.

Look at the application type as well as the description. A householder application is for work to an existing home and tends to be smaller. A full application can cover anything from a new house to a change of use. A listed building consent application concerns changes to a protected building, which usually calls for specialist contractors. A lawful development certificate asks whether work is allowed without planning permission, so the owner may be thinking about the work but has not yet committed to a detailed scheme. The guide to permitted development and planning permission explains why some building work never appears as a full application.

Some work will not show up in the register at all. Many extensions and loft conversions are carried out under permitted development rights without an application, and internal alterations to an unlisted house usually need no planning permission. Repairs, re-roofing in the same materials and garden work often need no application either. Using planning data therefore gives you a partial view of the work in an area, and a particular trade can find fewer relevant records than the real level of demand.

Read the proposal and drawings to judge scope

The description tells you what kind of project it is. The documents tell you how big it is. Open the application on the council’s own register and look at the proposed floor plans, elevations and, where provided, the design and access statement. The guide to reading planning drawings explains scale, annotations and the difference between existing and proposed drawings. For scoping, a few specific checks are useful.

First, compare the existing and proposed plans. A “single storey extension” that is three metres deep with a flat roof is a different job from one that is six metres deep with a pitched roof and bi-fold doors. Dimensions are normally marked on plans or can be measured from the scale bar, though you should treat a measurement taken from a PDF as approximate. Second, look for structural clues: a note about steel beams, a wall shown as removed on the plan, a new staircase, a change in ground level or a basement. Each adds structural work and cost.

Third, read the materials. Applications often name the proposed walling, roofing and window materials, and a heritage or conservation area setting may require particular finishes. A roofer reading a householder application can see whether slate, clay tile or a single-ply flat roof system is proposed. A landscaper reading a new-dwelling application can look for a landscaping plan, tree protection information or planting schedules.

Fourth, look for the applicant and agent. Many applications are submitted by an architect or planning consultant acting as the agent, and the agent’s details appear on the form. If a design practice has prepared the drawings, it may also be involved in choosing or advising on a contractor. That does not stop you writing to the owner, but it is useful to know who else is involved. Details you find on a register are personal data in the hands of whoever uses them, which matters for the data protection section later in this guide.

Finally, check whether the scheme is large enough to need other consents. Larger works can involve building regulations approval, party wall agreements, a drainage connection or a highways licence for scaffolding. The GOV.UK page on building regulations approval explains that building regulations are separate from planning permission. These separate requirements are a reason the owner may need advice from several trades, and they are also something you can mention in a conversation if you understand them.

Timing: from submission to site start

When you contact an owner matters as much as who you contact. An owner whose application was submitted last week is usually weeks away from needing a builder. An owner whose permission was granted a month ago, and who has finished with their architect, may be asking for quotes now. A household whose application was refused may be reconsidering their plans entirely. Reading the status of an application helps you judge which situation you are looking at.

The usual sequence is submitted, validated, consultation, decision, any pre-commencement conditions discharged, then work starts. After submission the council checks that the application is complete, which is validation, and then publishes it for comment. Under the government’s guidance on determining a planning application, councils have a statutory period to decide each application: eight weeks for non-major applications, thirteen weeks for major ones and sixteen weeks for applications that need an environmental impact assessment. These periods can be extended by written agreement with the applicant. Real timings vary by council and by application, so our guide to how long planning permission takes is worth reading if timing affects your sales process.

A decision is not always the point at which work can begin. Many permissions carry conditions, and some are pre-commencement conditions, which must be satisfied before any work starts. Common examples are approval of materials samples, a construction management plan, a drainage strategy or an ecology survey. The guide to discharging planning conditions explains the process. Because conditions can take weeks, an owner with an approved scheme may still be waiting, and the council’s condition-discharge records can show where they are.

Permission is also time-limited. In England, development normally has to begin within three years of the decision, as the guide to how long planning permission lasts explains. That is a long window, so an approval from some months ago does not mean the owner is about to build or has already built. Builders sometimes write to owners whose permission was granted a long time ago and whose work has already been completed, which is worth avoiding if you can find recent evidence such as a completion notice or a changed property listing.

The guide to planning application statuses covers the labels councils use. Wording differs between registers, and a status such as “permitted” or “approved with conditions” means different things in practice. When a status is unclear, follow the council link and read the decision notice.

Writing to a homeowner

If an application fits your services and the timing suggests the owner may be looking for a contractor, the simplest approach is a short letter addressed to the property. A letter is easy to ignore, easy to keep and does not interrupt anyone. It also fits the way planning records work: the register gives you a property address, and a letter addressed to “the homeowner” at that address does not require you to use anyone’s name.

Keep the letter short and specific. Say who you are, where you are based, what kind of work you do and that you noticed a planning application at the address. Do not claim you were approached, do not imply the council or the owner referred you, and do not describe your letter as a planning notice or official communication. Avoid urgent wording such as “limited time” or “last chance”. Give contact details and an easy way to say no.

Mention something verifiable. “We have completed loft conversions on three streets within two miles” is useful only if true and if you can show it. If you have not done similar work nearby, say what you have done. Never include testimonials, awards or accreditations you cannot evidence, and make sure any trade-body logo or membership statement is current.

The text below is an example for you to adapt. Every detail in square brackets is a placeholder that you must replace with your own accurate information, and the wording is a starting point, not a form that suits every business or project.

Data protection and courtesy

Planning registers are public, but personal information on them is still personal data. Using it to market your business means you are subject to data protection law, and writing to people about your services is direct marketing. The Information Commissioner’s Office publishes direct marketing guidance that sets out the rules and its expectations. Read it before you start, and take advice if you plan to write to people at scale. This guide gives general information and is not legal advice.

Some practical points follow from that guidance. Write to the property address rather than looking up the owner’s other contact details. Do not use an email address, phone number or social media account unless the person gave it to you for this purpose, because the rules for electronic marketing are stricter than for post. Say clearly who you are and how you obtained the address, and be ready to answer if someone asks where you found their details.

The ICO states that people have an absolute right to object to or opt out of direct marketing at any time. In practice, that means keeping a simple list of addresses you must not write to and checking it before every mailing. If someone calls, emails or writes asking you to stop, record it the same day and do not contact them again. A do-not-contact list is the usual way to make sure a request to stop is respected.

Application records often include comments from neighbours and objectors. Do not collect their names or addresses for marketing, and do not contact people because they objected or supported a proposal. Those details were given to the council for a different purpose, and using them to sell services is unlikely to meet reasonable expectations. The same caution applies to a neighbour whose address appears on a plan or consultation list. Write only to the property that is the subject of the application.

Courtesy goes beyond the legal minimum. Send one letter, not a series. Do not turn up at the property uninvited, put flyers through doors on the same street without permission or contact someone repeatedly. Many owners have already been approached by several firms by the time they have planning permission, so a polite, honest message that is easy to decline works better than an insistent one. Keep records of what you sent and when, so you can answer a complaint quickly and accurately.

• Write to the property address only.
• Do not collect or use neighbour or objector details.
• State who you are, where you are based and how you found the address.
• Offer a clear, simple way to opt out.
• Keep a do-not-contact list and check it before every mailing.
• Stop contacting anyone who asks, on the day they ask.
• Read the ICO direct marketing guidance before you start.

Check coverage for your area

Planning data is only useful if it covers the places where you work. PlanningTrack collects records from council registers authority by authority, and coverage is incomplete. Some councils are not yet collected, some have gaps in older records and some registers publish information late or in an inconsistent format. A search that returns few results may mean there is little building work, or it may mean the records are not yet in our collection.

Before you rely on any list of applications, open the coverage page and check the councils you work in. Then look at the council’s own planning register to see whether the number of recent applications matches what you find elsewhere. If it does not, treat the council’s own register as authoritative and use our data only as a convenience. You can also use our application search to look up an address or reference and follow the link to the council record.

Applications are matched to a location using coordinates. Some council records do not include coordinates, and PlanningTrack cannot place those applications on a map or match them to an area search. That is one more reason to check the register directly when an area matters to your business. The guide to finding planning applications near you covers searching by address and postcode on council websites if you prefer to work from the source.

Area alerts for builders and tradespeople

Searching registers by hand works if you have the time. PlanningTrack’s area alerts are a paid email service that does the searching for you. You choose a postcode and a radius of 1, 3, 5, 10 or 25 miles, and you choose the project types you want: Extensions and conversions, New homes, Commercial and change of use, Roof works, Landscaping and outdoor, or Everything. You then receive a daily or weekly email digest of new applications and decisions that match, with up to 50 updates in each digest and a link to the council record for every item.

Alerts have limits that you should understand before you subscribe. Matching uses each application’s coordinates, so applications without council coordinates are not matched. Project types are matched from the proposal wording, which is only as precise as the council’s description. Coverage is incomplete. See the business page for how area alerts work and for pricing, and read the coverage page first if you work in an area where you are unsure of our records.

We have written short guides for each of seven trades, showing which applications are most relevant and how to use them. They cover builders, loft conversion companies, roofers, landscapers, architects, electricians and plumbers. Each explains what a typical alert for that trade includes and what it does not, so you can judge whether a digest would be useful before paying for one.

An alert is a prompt to look at a record, not a customer enquiry. After you receive a digest, you still need to open the council page, read the drawings, judge whether the work suits you, decide whether to write and follow the courtesy and data protection points above.

A checklist for using planning applications

Use this list each time you consider writing to an owner about an application. It brings together the checks from earlier sections so you can work through a record quickly and consistently. Keep a note of the answers so you can explain your approach later if anyone asks.

If you answer no to any of the first group of questions, stop before writing. If you answer no to the later questions, you can still write, but you may want to adjust the letter or wait until the situation is clearer. A shorter, better targeted mailing is usually more useful to the owner and to you than a large, indiscriminate one.

• Is the application relevant to a trade you actually offer?
• Have you read the council’s own record, including the proposal description and drawings?
• Is the status approved, or is a decision still pending and the scheme likely to change?
• Have you checked the decision notice for conditions that must be discharged before work starts?
• Is the decision recent enough that building work has probably not started or finished?
• Is the letter addressed to the property, without using personal details taken from objectors or neighbours?
• Does the letter say who you are, where you work and how to opt out?
• Have you checked the address against your do-not-contact list?
• Can you evidence every claim in the letter, such as nearby projects or accreditations?
• Have you checked coverage for the council area, and do you know what the records might be missing?

Working outside England

This guide describes the planning system in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate legislation, different application types and their own online registers, and some of the terms and timescales above do not carry across. If you work in a different nation, look at that nation’s government planning guidance and the relevant council’s register before using these steps. The direct marketing and data protection rules in the UK apply across all four nations, but check the ICO guidance for current details.

Where PlanningTrack holds records for authorities outside England, treat them in the same way: as a pointer to the council’s own register. Coverage varies, and we show the position by authority on the coverage page.