Planning Permission & Building Warrant - Advice From Thermohaus

29th January 2020

The latest article on building your own house from Thermohaus. See links below for all the earlier articles.

When building a new house there are two primary statutory (legal) consents you need to obtain before starting any work on site - planning permission and a building warrant.

Both are governed by acts of Parliament and administered by The Highland Council

Although there are guidelines, planning permission can be ‘cursed' due to a significant degree of subjectivity involved in the process. For example permission may depend on an appropriate design, which is of course an area very much open to debate!

There are two categories of planning permission:

Planning In Principle

This establishes the principle of developing the site e.g. for a 3-bed detached single storey house with garage. The actual site layout, house design, dimensions, materials and access can be decided at a later date. If a plot is granted Planning In Principle, you will still need to make an application for Full Planning Permission at a later date.

Full (Detailed) Planning Permission

Full (Detailed) Planning Permission establishes the detail of what is to be built including floor layouts (plans), appearance (elevations), dimensions and building materials. Usually conditions of approval will be attached and these must be complied with during the project.

All planning consents are valid for 3 years.

Having received full (detailed) planning permission, you will then need to seek a building warrant.

A Building Warrant will be issued when The Highland Council's building control department is content that your house design complies with the Building Standards which are contained in the Domestic Technical Handbook.

The Building Standards cover topics such as structural, fire, health, safety, access and energy.

The Building Warrant is also valid for 3 years. If you place your order for a kit home with Thermohaus they will deal with both planning and building warrant applications on your behalf. All you need to do is pay the statutory fees involved.

See other articles in the advice series from Thermohaus.

Planning Advice and Building Warrant

House Design Advice From Thermohaus

Finding And Buying Land For Your Self Build Home

Building Your Own Home Is Easier Than You May Think

Can You Afford To Build Your Own Home

How to Finance Your Self-build New home]