Planning and constraints
Permitted development
Changes an owner may make without a planning application, granted nationally by the General Permitted Development Order, subject to limits and to local withdrawal by Article 4.
Also called: PD rights, permitted development rights, prior approval.
Definition
Permitted development, as the data uses it
The General Permitted Development Order grants permission in advance for classes of work: extensions within size limits, loft conversions, many changes of use including from commercial to residential under Class MA, and more. Some classes need prior approval from the authority on specific matters (flooding, transport, light) before they can be used.
Permitted development is why a building's unit mix matters: a building holding both residential and commercial units is the conversion cohort, and MarketCode's mixed-use tool exists to find it. Rights can be withdrawn locally by an Article 4 direction and do not apply to listed buildings, so the planning check is the first step before relying on them.
Tools
Tools that return it
Mixed-use buildings in an area
mixed_use_buildings()Buildings holding BOTH residential and commercial units — the conversion and permitted-development cohort.
Planning designations at a location
planning_designations()Every planning designation affecting a location, in one call: conservation
Site appraisal dossier
site_appraisal()Everything known about ONE site, assembled and judged — the site dossier.
See also
Related terms
- Article 4 direction: A direction by a local planning authority withdrawing specified permitted development rights in an area, so work that is normally automatic needs a planning application.
- Mixed-use building: A building that holds both residential and commercial units; a property of the building's unit mix rather than of any single unit, and the conversion cohort.
FAQ
Questions about permitted development
What does Permitted development mean?
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Changes an owner may make without a planning application, granted nationally by the General Permitted Development Order, subject to limits and to local withdrawal by Article 4.
Which MarketCode tools return permitted development?
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Mixed-use buildings in an area, Planning designations at a location, Site appraisal dossier. Each runs as an MCP tool in Claude, ChatGPT, Codex and Cursor and as a REST endpoint with an API key, at the same price.
Is permitted development rights the same thing?
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Yes. PD rights, permitted development rights, prior approval are other names for what this entry defines; MarketCode uses "Permitted development" in its tool descriptions and responses.
See it on a real address.
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