Your planning application

This section will help guide you through the process of making a planning application.

The application process

This set of questions and answers helps explain what happens to your application from the date you submit it to the date a decision is made.

Find out more about the application process.

How to apply

We are committed to helping you submit a valid application. You can apply online or with a paper form and you must make sure you submit the correct fee.

Find out how to apply.

Application forms and notes

Planning law means that we - and all other planning authorities in England and Wales - can only accept standard national planning application forms (called 1APP forms) from you. There are different forms for different types of planning application. You should check the Local Validation List to see what information you may need to submit to support your application. The Local Validation list applies to planning applications (other than Lawful Development Certificates). The list has been amended from 6 September and requires details on how a proposal will reduce carbon emissions and incorporate measures to reduce the contribution to climate change sustainability.

When submitting a Lawful Development Certificate application, the Local Validation List has been adopted and should be used from 6 September.

Find out about application forms and notes.

Validation guidance

We have provided a range of guidance leaflets to assist you when making your planning application. The guidance explains the information you need to submit as set out in the Local Validation List. We may need additional information in order to assess your application, and we have provided guidance to cover the most common requirements.

Mitigating against climate change

In order to build in resilience to and mitigate the causes of climate change all development must:

a) make the most efficient and sustainable use of land, buildings and natural resource

b) Must take account of the energy hierarchy by:

• Reducing the need for energy,
• using energy more efficiently,
• supplying energy efficiently: and
• using low carbon and renewable energy

c) Be directed away from flood risk area and seek to reduce overall risk from flooding within the National Park and areas outside it, upstream and downstream

Achieve the highest possible standards of carbon reductions.

Achieve the highest possible standards of water efficiency.

Although all development must address this policy and validation requirements require a statement be provided for every application, the statement and the measures should be commensurate to the scale of the development.

To comply with the policy measures will be required that go beyond building regulations requirements. But for householder applications in particular, the measures can be things that are won’t add significant expense and are easily achieved, while improving the sustainability of property in the longer term.

Examples of things that householder applications can include are as follows:

• the use of locally quarried building materials which have travelled shorter distances
• recycled/reclaimed building materials
• and use of low carbon cement
• gas filled double glazing, where appropriate
• sustainably sourced timber in woodwork and joinery
• grey water recycling
• insulation (including non mineral based products made from wood by-products, wool and paper waste)

Larger projects are more likely to present opportunities for energy generation. Further guidance for all scales of project is set out in the supplementary planning guidance climate change and sustainable buildings.

The decision-making process

Waiting to hear the outcome of your planning application may leave you waiting on tenterhooks. We've written a set of commonly asked questions about the decision-making process to explain how and when a decision is reached about your application.

Find out more about the decision-making process.