Permission in Principle (PiP)

 

A PiP or Permission in Principle is an alternative route to planning permission for housing-led development. It splits the decision in two: first the principle, meaning whether the site is acceptable for housing at all, and then the detail through a technical details consent application.

If your site qualifies it can be a quick and relatively inexpensive way to establish that a site has a residential future before spending money proving exactly how the development will look. It is similar to an outline planning application, but narrower and faster.

 

 

The two routes to Permission in Principle

 

Permission in Principle can arise in two quite different ways:

• on application – you apply to the council, and it grants or refuses PiP. This route is restricted to minor housing-led development
• through Part 2 of the brownfield land register – where a council enters a qualifying site in Part 2 of its brownfield land register, Permission in Principle is granted through that entry

The brownfield register route is not limited to minor development in the same way as the application route. It is therefore possible for a major development to reach technical details consent where the PiP arose through the register route.

If the council refuses a PiP application, there is a right of appeal. If it simply does not put your land into Part 2 of the brownfield land register, there is no equivalent appeal against the absence of that entry.

 

Can a PiP application be made on previously developed land?

 

Yes. A Permission in Principle application is not limited to greenfield land and it is not excluded simply because the site is previously developed land.

The Government’s Planning Practice Guidance table is easy to misread. It includes a row for development on land not defined as previously developed and shows that this can use the application route but cannot use the Part 2 brownfield land register route.

That does not mean the reverse – that previously developed land cannot use the application route. It means that undeveloped land can be the subject of a PiP application, while by definition it cannot obtain PiP through Part 2 of the brownfield land register.

So, subject to the statutory limits and exclusions, the application route can be used on:

• previously developed land
• the curtilage of previously developed land where it otherwise qualifies
• undeveloped or greenfield land

The brownfield register route is different because Part 2 depends upon land qualifying for the brownfield land register in the first place.

 

What are the limitations of a PiP application?

 

A Permission in Principle sought by application is for minor housing-led development. The application route is limited to development of fewer than 10 dwellings, a site of less than 1 hectare and, where non-residential floorspace forms part of the proposal, less than 1,000 square metres of floorspace.

The development must be housing or housing-led, with residential development forming the main use. Minerals development cannot be granted Permission in Principle, and other statutory exclusions apply to particular categories of land and development.

Do not confuse the development-size limits with the brownfield question. A site can be brownfield and still be too large for the application route; equally a qualifying small greenfield site can potentially use the application route even though it cannot be granted PiP by entry in Part 2 of a brownfield register.

 

What does the council decide at PiP stage?

 

The matters decided at Permission in Principle stage are deliberately narrow:

• the location of the development
• the land use
• the amount of development

Issues relevant to those in-principle matters should be considered at stage one. Detailed design, appearance, layout, landscaping, access details and the site’s technical matters are considered at technical details consent stage.

The council must still decide the PiP in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. PiP is a reduced-scope application, not a policy-free shortcut.

 

How to apply for Permission in Principle

 

The validation requirements for a PiP application are deliberately light. The core requirements are:

• the completed application
• a plan identifying the land, drawn to an identified scale and showing north
• the correct application fee

No detailed house plans are required at this stage because the detail belongs at stage two. You can specify the proposed number of dwellings or a range within the statutory limits.

The council normally has 5 weeks to determine a valid PiP application unless a longer period is agreed in writing.

Draft fee regulations laid before Parliament propose changing the PiP fee system on 8th December 2026, replacing the current area-based fee with a flat fee. As at 2nd September 2026 those regulations are still subject to the draft affirmative procedure, so the December change is not yet law. See our planning fees page for the current figure and the latest position.

 

Technical details consent – stage two

 

A Permission in Principle does not by itself authorise building work. To obtain the equivalent of full planning permission you must secure technical details consent.

This is where the full design, appearance, layout, landscaping, access and technical evidence are considered. The application must be consistent with the Permission in Principle: the council cannot use technical details consent to reopen the three matters already settled at stage one.

Recent Inspector decisions show why self-build needs careful handling at PiP. In the Bedford self-build PiP appeal 6011253, the description expressly sought self-build and custom-build dwellings, and the Inspector treated that wording as constraining what could later be approved at Technical Details Consent. Four days later, in Findon appeal 6006900, another Inspector said there was no mechanism at PiP stage to secure self-build, although a planning obligation could potentially be offered at TDC. Neither appeal is binding authority.

The national procedural position is clearer than those differing Inspector approaches: planning conditions cannot be attached to PiP and planning obligations cannot be secured at PiP stage. An obligation may be entered into at TDC where the statutory tests are met. If self-build status matters to the planning balance, do not assume that a label alone will always secure the benefit or guarantee full weight. Explain how the status is intended to be secured at TDC and keep the application description consistent throughout.

A technical details consent application must be submitted within the lifetime of the PiP. Where PiP is granted on application, this is normally three years from the grant unless the permission provides otherwise.

The normal determination periods are 5 weeks for non-major development, 10 weeks for major development and 16 weeks where an environmental impact assessment is required.

Biodiversity net gain is another reason not to confuse the two stages: the statutory BNG condition does not attach to the PiP itself, but it can apply when technical details consent is granted.

 

If Permission in Principle is refused

 

You can appeal against a refusal of a Permission in Principle application and against refusal of technical details consent. The usual deadline is six months from the decision notice.

For applications made on or after 1st April 2026, these appeals generally fall within the expedited written-representations process, so it is particularly important to put the relevant evidence before the council at application stage. See our guide to planning appeals.

Again, there is no equivalent appeal simply because a council declines to enter a site into Part 2 of its brownfield land register.

 

Is a PiP worth it?

 

PiP is most useful where the big uncertainty is the principle of a small housing development and you do not want to fund a detailed design before knowing whether that principle is acceptable.

It is less attractive where the principle is obvious but the site has difficult technical issues which will dominate stage two, or where you need to fix more design detail at the first decision. In those cases a full application or outline application may be more useful.

 

Relevant legislation and guidance

 

• Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 58A
• Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 59A
• Town and Country Planning (Permission in Principle) Order 2017
• Town and Country Planning (Permission in Principle) (Amendment) Order 2017
• Town and Country Planning (Brownfield Land Register) Regulations 2017
• Planning Practice Guidance: Permission in Principle

Other Planning Application Sections

 

Permission in Principle Page Updated: 21st September 2026