Non-material amendments to planning permissions

If you want to make a change to a development proposal that already has planning permission, you may be able to apply to us for a for a non-material amendment.

This means a very small change which should not affect the status of your proposal, in planning terms. If we approve your application for this change, it would form an amendment to your original planning permission, and the original time limits and conditions of the permission would still apply. Your amendment would not form a new planning permission, or provide more time to complete your development.

We will assess whether your change really is non-material, based on the context. Many factors, such as national and local planning policy, whether your property is listed, in a conservation area and its previous planning history, may have an impact on our decision. 

More detail on how we assess this type of application 

We are unlikely to consider your amendment to be 'non-material' if any of the following are true:

• There would be a change to the site boundary (as defined by the red line in the original application).
• There would be a change to the description of the original proposal.
• The amendment would conflict with any conditions of the granted planning permission.
• The amendment would conflict with the policies of our Local Plan or the National Planning Policy Framework.
• The amendment would significantly change the appearance or size of the original development.
• The amendment would have an unreasonable negative effect on a neighbour, such as the introduction of a new window that would increase overlooking onto their property
• The amendment would have a greater impact on your neighbours than the original planning application.
• The amendment by itself would normally require planning permission, for example the installation of more than two microwave antennae on a dwelling.
• The amendment may raise environmental issues which weren't part of an Environmental Statement submitted with the original proposal.
• The amendment would have an impact on issues raised in objections to the original proposal.

Please note that these notes are not a complete statement of our policy. There may be other reasons for us to refuse permission for an amendment, in addition to the list above. If we refuse to amend your planning permission, it may still be possible to submit a completely new planning application, and get approval for the change you require.

We strongly recommend consulting a planning agent to assist you with your planning application.