About the Planning System
Planning control is the process of managing the development of land and buildings. The purposes of this process are to save what is best of our heritage and to improve the infrastructure upon which we depend for a civilised existence.
Your local planning authority is responsible for deciding whether a development, anything from an extension on a house to a new shopping centre, should go ahead.
The Government has published a plain English guide giving an overview of how the planning system works in England1.