Planning Application Documents: How to Read the Basics as a Buyer

Start with the decision notice

Conditions matter as much as permission. Drawings show what was approved.

Local variation

Each authority publishes differently. Your solicitor coordinates planning searches where needed.

Tool

Try the [planning checker](/planning-checker) route on Property Passport UK as a first pass, not a substitute for formal search results.

What to check next

Use [Property Passport UK](/search) to open the property by address or postcode, then review official context alongside anything you save as Documents for your own workflow.

How Property Passport UK helps

Property Passport UK brings address-level context together in one place so you can prepare questions for your conveyancer and surveyor without treating a portal listing as proof. It does not replace HM Land Registry title, searches, or professional advice.

Disclaimer: General information only, not legal advice, not a survey, and not a substitute for regulated conveyancing or valuation.