OUTLINE VS FULL PLANNING PERMISSION

What is the difference, and which planning application should you use?

When seeking planning permission for development, one of the first decisions may be whether to submit an outline planning application or a full planning application.

Both routes can establish planning permission, but they provide different levels of detail and certainty.

An outline planning application can establish whether development is acceptable before all of the detailed design is finalised.

A full planning application seeks approval for the detailed development proposal from the outset.

Neither route is automatically better.

The right choice depends on the site, the complexity of the proposal, the planning risks involved and what you ultimately want to achieve with the land.

WHAT IS OUTLINE PLANNING PERMISSION?

Outline planning permission allows certain aspects of a proposed development to be established while leaving other details to be considered later.

It can be particularly useful where a landowner or developer wants to establish the principle and broad parameters of development before completing all of the detailed design work.

An outline application still needs enough information for the local planning authority to properly assess the development.

It should not therefore be thought of as simply drawing a red line around a site and asking whether development is acceptable.

The level of information required will depend on the proposal and the issues affecting the site.

WHAT ARE RESERVED MATTERS?

Where outline planning permission is granted, details not determined at outline stage can subsequently be dealt with through applications for reserved matters.

The five categories that can potentially be reserved are:

  • Access

  • Appearance

  • Landscaping

  • Layout

  • Scale

An outline application can seek approval for some of these matters while reserving others for later determination.

For example, a development might establish the principle of residential development, access arrangements and broad development parameters while leaving the detailed layout and appearance of the buildings to a later stage.

The exact approach depends on what needs to be established through the outline permission.

WHAT IS FULL PLANNING PERMISSION?

A full planning application provides the detailed proposal for the development from the outset.

Depending on the project, this could include:

  • Site layout

  • Building positions

  • Floor plans

  • Elevations

  • Scale and massing

  • Access

  • Parking

  • Landscaping

  • Relationship with neighbouring properties

Relevant technical information may also be required.

This might cover issues such as:

  • Highways

  • Flood risk and drainage

  • Ecology

  • Trees

  • Heritage

  • Noise

  • Contamination

  • Energy and sustainability

If full planning permission is granted, there is no subsequent reserved matters stage, although planning conditions and other requirements may still need to be addressed.

WHAT IS THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OUTLINE AND FULL PLANNING PERMISSION?

The simplest distinction is the level of detail being determined.

Outline planning permission

Establishes the development while allowing specified details to be resolved later.

Full planning permission

Seeks approval for the detailed development proposal at the same time.

The strategic question is therefore:

How much of the development needs to be fixed now?

That answer can have significant implications for design work, technical work, cost, flexibility and land value.

IS OUTLINE PLANNING PERMISSION EASIER TO GET?

Not necessarily.

Outline permission does not allow the fundamental planning issues affecting a development to be avoided.

The planning authority still needs sufficient information to understand the likely effects of the development and determine whether the proposal is acceptable.

Issues such as:

  • Principle of development

  • Highway impact

  • Flood risk

  • Ecology

  • Heritage

  • Infrastructure

  • Development scale

may still need considerable investigation.

Outline planning permission can provide flexibility over matters that genuinely can be left until later.

It is not a shortcut around difficult planning issues.

IS AN OUTLINE APPLICATION CHEAPER?

It can reduce some upfront design expenditure because certain detailed matters may be reserved until later.

But an outline application is not necessarily a cheap planning application.

For a substantial development, considerable work may still be needed to demonstrate that the proposed development is achievable and acceptable.

That might include:

  • Planning assessment

  • Illustrative masterplanning

  • Highways work

  • Ecology

  • Flood risk and drainage

  • Landscape assessment

  • Heritage work

  • Other specialist studies

There will also be subsequent work associated with reserved matters.

The commercial benefit is therefore often about when expenditure occurs and how much flexibility is retained, rather than simply reducing the total cost of obtaining permission.

WHEN IS OUTLINE PLANNING PERMISSION USEFUL?

Outline permission can be particularly useful where a landowner wants to establish development potential without fixing every aspect of the eventual scheme.

For example, it may be appropriate where:

  • A larger parcel of land is being promoted for housing

  • The land may be sold following planning permission

  • The eventual developer may want control over detailed design

  • Development parameters need establishing before substantial detailed design work

  • Flexibility has commercial value

  • The scheme is likely to evolve before construction

This can make outline permission particularly relevant to landowners, promoters and developers dealing with larger sites.

WHEN IS FULL PLANNING PERMISSION BETTER?

A full application may make more sense where:

  • The development is relatively small

  • The site is straightforward

  • The detailed design is already known

  • Architecture is central to the planning case

  • The applicant intends to build the scheme

  • Detailed certainty is commercially important

  • There is little advantage in retaining design flexibility

For example, if you are proposing a single house on an infill plot, it may be more efficient to demonstrate exactly what is proposed rather than create an additional reserved matters stage.

CAN I USE OUTLINE PLANNING PERMISSION FOR ONE HOUSE?

Potentially, depending on the proposal and the type of development involved.

But the more important question is whether there is any strategic advantage in doing so.

For a straightforward single dwelling, preparing a full application may provide greater certainty without introducing another planning stage.

For a more unusual site where particular matters need establishing while flexibility is retained elsewhere, an outline approach might deserve consideration.

The application type should be selected because it helps manage a particular planning or development issue — not simply because outline sounds less detailed.

IS OUTLINE PLANNING PERMISSION BETTER FOR LARGER SITES?

It can be.

On larger developments, there may be good reasons not to fix every building and every architectural detail at the first planning stage.

A developer might instead establish matters such as:

  • Development quantum

  • Land uses

  • Access

  • Building height parameters

  • Development zones

  • Landscape structure

  • Key infrastructure

More detailed design can then follow within the framework established by the outline permission.

This can provide a balance between planning certainty and development flexibility.

HOW MUCH DETAIL DO I NEED FOR AN OUTLINE APPLICATION?

This depends on what is being proposed and which matters are being reserved.

An outline application still needs to demonstrate that the development being sought can realistically be accommodated.

For a residential development, for example, it may be necessary to understand whether the proposed number of homes can work alongside:

  • Access

  • Roads

  • Parking

  • Open space

  • Landscaping

  • Drainage

  • Existing trees

  • Neighbouring properties

  • Site levels

  • Other constraints

An illustrative layout or masterplan can therefore be extremely useful even where the exact layout is not being fixed for approval.

There is little value in obtaining an outline permission for development that proves impractical to deliver later.

DOES OUTLINE PLANNING PERMISSION INCREASE LAND VALUE?

Potentially.

Establishing that a site has planning permission for development can significantly change the level of planning certainty associated with the land.

For a purchaser, an outline permission may provide important information about:

  • Acceptable land use

  • Development quantum

  • Access

  • Development parameters

  • Planning obligations

  • Key constraints

However, the purchaser will also consider what remains unresolved.

The more work and risk left for the eventual developer, the more that may influence what they are prepared to pay.

Land value therefore depends not simply on whether permission is labelled outline or full, but on the quality, flexibility and deliverability of the consent.

IS FULL PLANNING PERMISSION MORE VALUABLE THAN OUTLINE?

Not automatically.

A detailed permission can provide greater certainty because more aspects of the development have already been approved.

But greater detail can also mean less flexibility.

A developer purchasing a site may prefer an outline permission that establishes an attractive development opportunity while allowing them to develop their own detailed product.

Conversely, a well-designed full permission that is effectively ready to progress may be highly attractive.

The commercial value depends on:

  • What has been approved

  • What remains uncertain

  • Development costs

  • Planning obligations

  • Market demand

  • Flexibility

  • Deliverability

The most detailed permission is not necessarily the most valuable permission.

WHICH IS BETTER IF I WANT TO SELL MY LAND?

If your objective is to secure planning permission and then sell the site, this should influence the planning strategy from the beginning.

You need to consider what a likely purchaser will want.

For a larger development site, they may value flexibility.

For a small building plot, they may prefer the certainty of knowing exactly what can be constructed.

Before choosing between outline and full permission, consider:

Who is likely to buy the site?

What planning risk will they be willing to take?

What flexibility will they want?

How much additional value is likely to be created by progressing the design further?

Planning should support the eventual development or disposal strategy rather than being treated separately from it.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER OUTLINE PLANNING PERMISSION?

The matters reserved by the outline permission need to be dealt with through the subsequent reserved matters process within the relevant time limits.

Detailed proposals are prepared in accordance with the outline permission and any parameters or conditions attached to it.

This might involve progressing:

  • Detailed architecture

  • Layout

  • Landscaping

  • Appearance

  • Scale

  • Access, where reserved

The exact work depends on what was determined at outline stage.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER FULL PLANNING PERMISSION?

Full planning permission does not necessarily mean construction can start immediately.

There may still be:

  • Planning conditions to discharge

  • Legal obligations to satisfy

  • Building Regulations

  • Detailed technical design

  • Procurement

  • Utility arrangements

  • Other approvals

But the detailed planning proposal itself has already been considered.

This can provide a higher level of design certainty before the project progresses into delivery.

OUTLINE, FULL OR PERMISSION IN PRINCIPLE?

These three routes should not be confused.

At a simplified level:

Permission in Principle

Useful in qualifying circumstances where the main objective is to establish the principle of housing-led development before technical details.

Outline planning permission

Can establish development while allowing specified matters to be reserved for later approval.

Full planning permission

Determines the detailed development proposal from the outset.

The right route depends on the type of development, planning risk and commercial objective.

HOW DO I CHOOSE BETWEEN OUTLINE AND FULL PLANNING?

Start with the development objective rather than the application form.

Ask:

1. What planning certainty do we need?

2. Which aspects of the development need to be fixed now?

3. Which aspects would benefit from remaining flexible?

4. How much design and technical work is needed to establish the planning case?

5. Does the landowner intend to build or sell?

6. What will an eventual developer or purchaser want?

7. What route provides sufficient certainty without unnecessary expenditure?

The answers should determine the planning strategy.

SWAP VIEW

The decision between outline and full planning permission should be made with the development strategy in mind.

For some sites, detailed design is what makes the planning case convincing. In that situation, a full application may be the stronger route.

For others, particularly larger development opportunities, fixing every detail too early can add cost and remove flexibility without creating equivalent value.

We therefore look at three things together:

Planning — what needs to be established to secure consent?

Architecture — how much design is needed to demonstrate a credible development?

Development — what form of permission will be most useful commercially?

The objective is not simply to obtain planning permission.

It is to obtain a useful and deliverable planning permission.

NOT SURE WHETHER TO APPLY FOR OUTLINE OR FULL PLANNING PERMISSION?

If you own land with development potential, SWAP can help determine the most appropriate route through planning.

We can review the planning position, assess development capacity and constraints, consider the likely end purchaser or delivery strategy and advise whether outline, full or another planning route is likely to be most appropriate.

Send us the site address or location, a plan if you have one, and a brief description of what you're considering.

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