Apply for planning permission

If you would like us to confirm that you need, or don't need planning permission, you can apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness.

You can also get impartial advice on all planning matters from Planning Aid Scotland or from a professional agent/architect. 

Planning Aid Scotland (PAS) is an independent charity which offers free, impartial and confidential planning advice, provided by staff and volunteers all of whom are chartered planners.

For householder development

If you are carrying out small building work to your home you may find our check if you need planning permission page useful.

For local development

The majority of applications we receive are for local development. Local development includes applications for changes to houses, smaller housing developments (less than 50 homes), retail and industrial applications. 

For local development, you can access all the relevant planning policy documents through our development plans. 

Our Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) and additional guidance for housing developments tells you the relevant considerations and any additional supporting information required in the formal submission of a planning application.

For major development

These are developments of more than 50 homes, large retail developments and certain waste, water, transport and energy-related projects.

To request pre-application advice for major development, please complete the relevant form and submit the relevant fee of £1000 plus VAT(20%).

While we will make every effort to ensure that any pre-application advice is as accurate and comprehensive as possible, any advice given by officers in response to a pre-application advice request does not constitute a formal decision of North Lanarkshire Council as planning authority and is given without prejudice to the determination of a planning application and any views expressed are not binding and are not intended to prejudice North Lanarkshire Council’s formal determination of any subsequent planning application.

Pre-application consultation with community

Major development applications need pre-application consultation (PAC) to be carried out between developers and communities. 

Where a PAC is required, the applicant must submit a proposal of application notice (PAN) to us at least 12 weeks before the submission of a planning application. A proposal of application notice is available from ePlanning.scot. 

A PAN is not a planning application but a notice to the council advising of how the developer intends to engage with the community about their proposal. This allows the community to put their views directly to the developer before a planning application is submitted.

For information on the requirements for pre-application consultation, please visit our Proposal of Application Notice web page.