by Patricia Oberman

If home owners and property developers didn't have to obtain planning permission from the local council heavens knows what our neighbourhoods would look like. However, many people would also argue that the planning laws in the UK are unnecessarily strict. If you own the land or the building you should be able to do what you want with it. You just can't please all the people all of the time. So back to the point at hand - the planning permission process. The length of time involved varies wildly from case to case but in almost all instances the procedure comprises the following stages:

- Getting the form. Phone the council to get them to send you the document or save time by going down to their local office yourself and pick one up.

- Don't make assumptions. You must make sure the council have received your application. Some people only decide to phone the council several months after submitting their plans, only to be told that their application was never received. Most councils will send you an acknowledgement letter when they receive your submission. If you don't receive one within two weeks give them a call.

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