Architectural Drawings for Planning Permission: What Do You Actually Need?

Planning applications get rejected for all kinds of reasons — but incomplete or inaccurate drawings are consistently among the most common. For property developers, construction companies, and architecture studios, a failed submission doesn’t just cause frustration. It causes delays, resubmission fees, and in some cases, months lost on a project that had no fundamental planning issues at all.

Getting the drawings right first time starts with knowing exactly what your local planning authority (LPA) expects to see. This guide breaks down every drawing type required for a standard UK planning application, what each one needs to show, and where the most common mistakes are made.

Do you actually need planning permission?

Before getting into drawings, it’s worth confirming whether your project needs full planning permission at all. Under Permitted Development Rights (PDR), certain types of work — including some rear extensions, loft conversions, and outbuildings — can proceed without a formal application, provided they fall within specified limits.

Projects that typically do require full planning permission include:

• New builds — residential and commercial
• Extensions or alterations that exceed PDR limits
• Changes of use — for example, converting a commercial unit to residential
• Work on listed buildings or properties in conservation areas
• Significant alterations to the exterior appearance of a building

If you’re unsure, it’s always worth applying for a Certificate of Lawful Development rather than assuming your project qualifies as permitted development. Carrying out work that turns out to require permission can create serious complications when you come to sell or refinance the property.

The drawings required for a UK planning application

Most planning applications in England and Wales require a core set of drawings. The exact requirements can vary by LPA and project type, but the following are standard for the vast majority of applications.

1. Location plan

A location plan places your site within its wider context — showing the surrounding roads, neighbouring buildings, and the general layout of the area. It should be drawn at a scale of 1:1250 or 1:2500, and the application site must be outlined in red. Any other land you own or control that is relevant to the application should be outlined in blue.

This drawing is typically based on an Ordnance Survey map and needs to show at least two named roads to help the LPA locate the site accurately. Missing or incorrectly drawn location plans are one of the most common reasons applications are invalidated before they’re even assessed.

2. Site plan (block plan)

The site plan zooms in to show the development plot in detail. Drawn at 1:200 or 1:500, it needs to include the proposed development in relation to the site boundaries, neighbouring buildings, access points, any trees or existing structures, and the north point.

For property developers working on multi-unit schemes or larger commercial sites, the site plan is often where LPAs focus considerable attention — checking how the proposed development relates to the surrounding context and whether it respects boundary setbacks and overlooking distances.

3. Existing and proposed floor plans

For any application involving an existing building — an extension, conversion, or alteration — you’ll need floor plans showing both the existing layout and the proposed changes. These are drawn at 1:50 or 1:100.

Existing plans should accurately reflect the current condition of the building. Proposed plans show the new or altered layout clearly, with room dimensions and key measurements labelled. LPAs use these to assess things like internal space standards, overlooking impacts, and how the proposal functions as a whole.

4. Existing and proposed elevations

Elevations show what the building looks like from the outside — north, south, east, and west faces. Again, you’ll need both existing and proposed versions at 1:50 or 1:100. Materials, finishes, and any design features should be clearly indicated.

For applications in conservation areas or near listed buildings, elevations are scrutinised very closely. Inaccurate or incomplete elevations are a frequent cause of conditions being attached to approvals — or, in sensitive areas, refusals based on design grounds.

5. Sections

Section drawings cut through the building to show internal heights, levels, floor-to-ceiling dimensions, and how different storeys relate to each other. They’re particularly important for projects with changes in ground level, basement works, or loft conversions where head heights need to be clearly demonstrated.

Not every LPA requires sections for a straightforward householder application, but they’re standard for new builds, larger extensions, and any project where levels are complex. Including them even when not strictly required often speeds up the validation process.

6. Roof plan

A roof plan shows the shape and layout of the roof from above, including any rooflights, chimneys, plant, or other features. It’s commonly required for new builds, extensions that affect the roofline, and loft conversion applications. Scale is typically 1:50 or 1:100.

Drawing quality standards: what LPAs expect

Drawings don’t just need to show the right information — they need to meet specific quality standards to be deemed valid. The Planning Portal sets out core requirements that apply across England, though individual LPAs can and do add their own local validation requirements on top.

As a baseline, all drawings submitted for planning must:

• Be drawn to a recognised metric scale (1:50, 1:100, 1:200, 1:500, or 1:1250 depending on drawing type)
• Include a scale bar — particularly important since drawings are often printed at different sizes to the original
• Carry a north point on all site-level drawings
• Clearly distinguish between existing and proposed elements — typically through different line weights or hatching
• Be legible and clearly labelled — room names, dimensions, and key features should be readable without ambiguity
• Be submitted in PDF format for online applications

Drawing file sizes also matter. Most LPAs set a maximum file size for uploaded documents, and oversized PDFs created from unoptimised CAD files are a surprisingly common cause of technical submission failures.

Planning drawings vs building regulations drawings: an important distinction

This is one of the most frequently misunderstood aspects of the UK approvals process. Planning drawings and building regulations drawings are different documents serving different purposes — and you’ll typically need both.

Planning drawings are about design, appearance, and context. They show what you want to build and how it relates to its surroundings. The LPA uses them to assess whether the scheme is acceptable in planning policy terms.

Building regulations drawings are about how the building will be constructed safely and in compliance with UK Building Regulations. They include structural details, insulation specifications, fire safety provisions, drainage, and ventilation. These are submitted separately to building control — either via a Full Plans application or a Building Notice — and are assessed independently of the planning process.

Getting planning permission does not mean you’re cleared to build. Building control approval is a separate requirement, and the drawings needed for it are considerably more detailed than those submitted at planning stage.

The most common reasons drawing-related applications fail

Based on what LPAs flag most frequently, the recurring issues are:

• Missing drawings — particularly existing floor plans and elevations for alteration projects
• Inconsistencies between drawings — for example, dimensions on the floor plan not matching the elevation
• Incorrect scale or no scale bar — drawings that can’t be measured reliably are typically invalid
• Location plan not based on an Ordnance Survey base map, or the application site not clearly outlined
• Existing conditions not accurately surveyed — plans that don’t reflect the current state of the building accurately create discrepancies that hold up the process

Most of these issues are entirely avoidable with accurate survey work and professionally produced drawings that have been quality-checked before submission.

Getting your planning drawings produced quickly and accurately

For property developers with multiple sites in the pipeline, or construction companies handling concurrent projects, the bottleneck is rarely the planning process itself — it’s getting the right drawings produced to the right standard before you can submit.

Traditional routes — hiring a local architect or managing a freelance drafter — work, but they come with the usual friction: availability, cost per project, and the admin of briefing someone new each time. With Craftio’s on-demand architectural design service, planning drawings can be turned around in 48 to 72 hours. Submit the brief via the dashboard, get the drawings back, request revisions if needed, and submit — without the per-project cost or the wait.

If you’re managing a consistent flow of planning applications and want a more predictable way to handle the drawings, see our pricing and take a look at how a flat-rate subscription compares to what you’re currently spending per project.

Not sure if Craftio is the right fit for your specific projects? Book a demo call and we’ll walk through exactly what we can turn around and how fast.