Choosing Outline vs. Full Planning Permission
For the applicant, the decision around whether to submit an outline or full application is important as it determines the amount of information required, and therefore costs involved.
However, it may be the case that, due to the complexity of the scheme and site-specific factors, the local authority asks for an amount of detail that is close to that which could support a full application. Nevertheless, outline application fees would be lower.
Outline vs. Full Planning Comparison:
| Outline Planning | Full Planning | |
| Summary | Outline approval is a planning permission which is subject to the approval of by the local authority of 'reserved matters'. These matters are: access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale. | Full planning is a planning permission in which access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale have been addressed as part of the application. However, it may be the case that the decision is subject to the agreement of planning obligations |
| Planning Fee Structure | Based on site area. | Based on scale of development undertaken. |
| Pros | Ability to isolate specific matters for approval or reservation, which in theory can reduce the costs of professional fees. | Fully addresses the matters required to construct the development. |
| Cons | Leaves matters unaddressed which could, subject to specifics, cap the value of the planning gain. | Full costs are bourn prior to any planning gain being achieved, and depending on the complexity of development, all matters being addressed increases the scope of matters which can be refused. |
Optionality for Applicants
Despite the statutory timescales of 13 weeks for determination (16 weeks with an Environmental Impact Assessment), in practice it is common for major planning applications to take longer overall. In this time, it’s possible that market conditions and the position of the applicant or landowner changes, which could affect the viability of a proposal.
Therefore, it is important for the applicant to review overall objectives and timeframes regularly. As a general rule, if an applicant is seeking to benefit from planning permission in the shorter term, and is unsure if they want to proceed to the construction phase, outline planning can offer a route where a substantial proportion of the value added by achieving planning permission (‘planning gain’) is captured, whilst leaving sufficient scope for the incoming developer to define the specifics of a scheme which best suits their needs and market conditions.
Having said this, if the applicant is willing to invest more in the form of a full planning application, this can prove valuable even if they still proceed to divest once planning approval has been granted. This is particularly relevant where a site comprises high levels of technical, planning, or environmental risk which must be removed to make the site marketable.
