What is planning?

This section describes why planning is important and how England's planning system works at a national, regional and local level. Find out more about how you can get involved.

At CPRE we know how daunting it can be, the first time you have to deal with the Planning system. It can look so complicated, and the results can seem just like a lottery at times!

The good news is, the Planning system is supposed to work the same way, everywhere, every time. The even better news is that CPRE has put together all the information you need, to get your head around it - and to do the right things.

At CPRE PlanningHelp you can find an overview of the Planning system, what sort of proposals require planning applications, and what you can do if proposals you've heard about don't seem right for their location.

Or are you on the other side of things? We also have an easy guide for applying for planning permission.

You don't need to be a member of CPRE to use any of these. What's more, it's all FREE of charge.

Please tell us if you can't find what you're looking for here. We may be able to find it for you, and put it on the website.

Fiona Cowan
October 2008

Downloads:
The Planning system ... all clear now?
 (34 Kb)