Retrospective planning permission in London
Retrospective planning permission is an application made after the work has been built. It is a normal application, judged on the same planning merits as any other, and for building works completed under the current rule the council can still take enforcement action for ten years from substantial completion. Here is how the process runs and what it costs.
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What retrospective means in practice
Nothing about the form changes. You complete the same application the council would have asked for beforehand, and you describe the development as built. The council weighs it on the planning merits, as it would an application made beforehand.
What does change is the evidence. You need drawings of the building as it now exists, because the council will compare them with what was approved, if anything was. Our measured building survey captures the as-built dimensions, and the guide to what happens if you build without planning permission covers what the council may do while you prepare.
The ten-year rule for building works
Under section 171B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as substituted by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 from 25 April 2024, no enforcement action may be taken after ten years beginning with the date of substantial completion of building operations in England. The Act is on legislation.gov.uk.
That is a limit on enforcement, not a grant of permission. It covers building operations. Works substantially completed before 25 April 2024 may fall under the rule that applied before that date, so check the completion date before relying on either period. A change of use follows its own rules, so do not assume the same period covers it. Our planning enforcement guide explains the notices a council can serve.
Councils in England refused 13,902 householder applications in the four quarters from 2025 Q3 to 2026 Q2 (our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2).
Fee and timing
A householder application for alterations or extensions to a single dwellinghouse carries a statutory fee of £548 from 1 April 2026 (SI 2012/2920, Schedule 1, Part 2, category 6(1)). That is paid to the council.
The council's decision period for an application that is not major development is 8 weeks, beginning the day after it receives the application (DMPO 2015, article 34(2)(b)). Our guide on how long planning permission takes explains how the clock and any agreed extension work.
What the national figures say about refusals
Councils in England refused 13,902 householder applications in the four quarters from 2025 Q3 to 2026 Q2 (our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2). A refusal is not the end of the road: you can appeal.
Of 26,568 householder appeals decided in England between 2021 and 2026, 36% were allowed (our analysis of the Planning Inspectorate Casework Database). Each case turns on its own facts, and these figures describe the past, not your site. Our planning appeal process guide lays out the steps.
Getting the drawings ready
We measure the property and draw the as-built floor plans, elevations and sections, then prepare the application set. See our planning drawings service for what is included, or the pricing page for fixed fees.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| ten years | Town and Country Planning Act 1990 s171B(1) (England, as substituted by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 from 25 April 2024): no enforcement action after ten years beginning with substantial completion of operations (source wording: ten years) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| £548 | Statutory fee from 1 April 2026, SI 2012/2920 Sch 1 Pt 2 category 6(1): householder application for alterations or extensions to a single dwellinghouse | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
| 8 weeks | DMPO 2015 art 34(2)(b): decision period for an application that is not major development (source wording: 8 weeks beginning with the day immediately following receipt) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 13,902 | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 26,568 | Our analysis of Planning Inspectorate Casework Database (released 1 Oct 2026 (Casework Database 2609)) | www.gov.uk |
| 36% | Our analysis of Planning Inspectorate Casework Database (released 1 Oct 2026 (Casework Database 2609)) | www.gov.uk |