Term
Lawful development certificate: what the term means
A certificate from the council confirming that an existing or proposed use or development is lawful for planning purposes.
A certificate from the council confirming that an existing or proposed use or development is lawful for planning purposes.
Lawful development certificate in practice
Under sections 191 and 192 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, anyone can apply to a local planning authority in England for a certificate that an existing, or a proposed, use or development is lawful. For a proposed development granted a certificate, the work is presumed lawful unless there is a material change before it begins, such as a new Article 4 direction or a change in permitted development rules.
A certificate covers planning law only. It does not replace Building Regulations approval, listed building consent or other licences.
Source: gov.uk