Planning & guidance
Know what you're dealing with before you build
Straight guidance on the questions that come up before a project starts — permission, permitted development, Building Regulations and the extra rules that apply in National Parks and Conservation Areas.
Decision tool
Do I need planning permission?
Answer five questions and this tool will set out which factors apply to your situation and what to check next. It gives guidance, not a decision — only your planning authority can confirm what is required.
Guidance
Answer the questions and this panel will explain which factors apply to your project and what to check next. It does not give a decision — only the planning authority can do that.
Planning and regulatory requirements vary by property, location and project. SHS provides practical construction guidance but does not replace advice from the relevant planning authority, Building Control, architect, engineer or other qualified professional.
Guidance
Planning topics
Decision tool
Do I need planning permission?
The questions that decide the answer, and where each answer leads next.
Residential
Extensions
Planning route, regulations, neighbours and the groundworks questions that decide extension cost.
Residential
New builds
From plot to foundations — what to resolve before a new build breaks ground.
Residential
Outbuildings
Garages, garden rooms and workshops — size, height, position, use and the base beneath them.
Rural
Agricultural buildings
Prior approval, siting, access and the yard works that make a building usable.
Rural
Barn conversions
Traditional stone buildings, structural condition, heritage and the services a conversion needs.
Designated area
Lake District National Park
What designation changes, who decides, and what it means for materials, access and programme.
Designated area
Listed buildings
Consent is separate from planning, applies inside as well as out, and carrying out unauthorised work is a serious matter.
Designated area
Conservation areas
Designation protects character and appearance area-wide, but exactly what is restricted varies from one conservation area to the next.
Regulation
Building Regulations
A separate legal process from planning, covering structure, safety and performance rather than whether the development is acceptable.
Technical
Structural engineering
When an engineer is needed, what their design contains, and how it turns into buildable groundworks and steelwork.
Practical
Site access
On rural Cumbrian sites, access is regularly the single largest variable in the price — and the easiest thing to under-check before pricing.
Technical
Drainage
Drainage has to be decided before the slab goes down, not during the build — and Cumbrian sites often need an off-mains and site-specific approach.
Practical
What to send your contractor
The information that turns a rough estimate into a firm, accurate price — and lets the build itself run without avoidable surprises.
Planning and regulatory requirements vary by property, location and project. SHS provides practical construction guidance but does not replace advice from the relevant planning authority, Building Control, architect, engineer or other qualified professional.
Next step
Not sure which route your project takes?
Send what you have — a sketch, a drawing, or a description of the site — and SHS will tell you plainly what the construction side involves and what you need to establish first.