Glossary
Permission in principle: PiP
A faster first stage of consent for small housing sites, settling location, use and amount.
What it means
Permission in principle is a two-stage route to planning in England. The first stage settles only the location, the land use and the amount of development, for minor housing-led schemes or sites on a council's brownfield land register. The second stage, technical details consent, deals with design and must be granted before work starts. It is cheaper and quicker to test a site this way, but the size limits and fees change, so check current rules.
Worked example
ExampleA 0.4-acre infill plot tested with permission in principle for four homes.
- Stage one
- Location, use, four to five homes
- Stage two
- Technical details consent
Stage one tells you the site works before you pay for a full design.
Information, not advice. Example figures are fictional and for illustration only.