Editorially checkedVisible ownership, review date and official-source context for this page.
Written by Sam JonesReviewed by UK Planning Guide Editorial Review DeskLast reviewed 11 April 2026Official-source context National planning baseline, local authority context and page-specific tripwires.Verify before spending Stop and verify when the proposal is close to a limit, affected by special controls or expensive to get wrong.
Planning tool

Project Requirements Generator

Use this tool when you know the broad project direction but want a clearer preparation pack before you spend more time on drawings or applications. It turns a few structured answers into the requirements, documents and next steps most likely to matter.

Checklist-driven outputStatic structured logicBuilt for early planning prep
Interactive check

Build Your Planning Prep Pack

Answer the short prompts, then generate a practical pack of requirements, documents and next checks.

How to use the result

What This Tool Is Good For

What it answers well

It helps you turn a vague planning to-do list into a more concrete prep pack tied to the project, property and site sensitivity.

Why it saves time

It reduces the risk of commissioning drawings or checking the wrong route before the basic planning pack is in place.

Best next move

Use the output to prepare the right information, then move into the matching project guide, local authority layer or route tool.

Tool FAQ

Questions People Usually Ask After The Result

Keep this block for the interpretation and trust questions that usually appear once the tool has narrowed the answer.

Is project requirements generator a final answer?

No. Project Requirements Generator is built to narrow the planning question quickly, not to replace the project guide, local authority layer or formal verification where certainty matters.

What details most often change the result?

The exact route, local validation needs and any heritage or policy issue are the things most likely to change which documents really matter first.

When should I verify formally?

Check the prep pack formally before commissioning drawings if the project is sensitive, local-policy driven or already leaning toward a full application.

What page should I open next?

Open the guide or local page that matches the route you are preparing for, then use the checklist as the evidence pack.

Why does local context still matter after the tool?

Because conservation areas, listed buildings, Article 4, planning history and council-specific judgement can still make a familiar-looking result less reliable on a real site.

Good search matches

Questions This Tool Is Best At Narrowing

Context and caveats

How This Tool Fits Into The Wider Planning Process

Project Requirements Generator is intended as a fast planning triage step based on common UK planning considerations and permitted development limits.

Use it to narrow the question, then move into project guides, local authority pages or formal confirmation if the scheme is close to a limit. The tool should help you spend money in the right order, not tempt you to stop checking too early.

Personalised planning guidance

Need A More Tailored Steer Than The Tool Result?

If project requirements generator has narrowed the question but the answer still depends on your exact site, local authority area or project details, use the structured guidance form instead of relying on another broad rule of thumb.

Best for

Borderline, awkward or site-specific cases where broad guidance has helped, but the answer still turns on facts that are unique to your property or proposal.

What the reply aims to do

The reply aims to narrow the likely route, flag the tripwires that matter most, and tell you which verification step is safest before more money is spent.

What to include

Property type, council area, location, the change you want to make, approximate dimensions, relevant heritage or flat-related details, previous additions and the main concern.

Important: Replies are informational personalised guidance based on the details you provide and publicly available information. They are not formal legal, architectural, surveying or council advice. Site-specific or borderline cases may still need checking with the local authority or a qualified specialist before drawings, applications or contractor spend move ahead.

Your enquiry details are used to respond to your request. Anonymised themes may be used to improve guides, tools, FAQs and site content. Identifiable case details are not published without permission, and sending an enquiry does not sign you up to marketing emails. Privacy notice.

Trust and method

Use These Tools Properly

Rules vary by location

Planning routes can change by council area, property history, designations and the exact proposal. Use this page as a structured guide to the next check, not as a blanket approval.

What this page is for

To reduce uncertainty quickly, point you to the next page that matters, and show when a broad tool result is still too weak to rely on for a live project decision.

What it does not replace

These tools do not replace formal confirmation for borderline schemes, local authority checking where special controls apply, or paid specialist input for genuinely complex cases.

How the guidance is built

Tool results are based on common planning and permitted development baselines, then framed to push you toward the project, local authority and rule pages most likely to settle the remaining doubt.

When to stop relying on broad guidance

Escalate when the route only works inside a tight threshold, when local controls may be doing most of the work, or when you need written certainty before drawings, applications or contractor spend.

Safest formal next step

Use the tool result as triage, then move into the matching guide. If certainty still matters, step up to a lawful development certificate, pre-application advice or professional help rather than rerunning broad checks.

Official-source check

Where this page shows official sources, use those links near the relevant answer to confirm the latest council or national wording before relying on a borderline route.

Useful trust pages

Methodology

Planning FAQ

Updated May 2026
Continue your research

Pick Up Where You Left Off