Search an existing application

Use Planning Applications Online / Public Access. Search by reference, address, postcode, keyword, weekly list, monthly list, property search or map search.

Comment on a live application

Use Public Access or write to Development Management at the Civic Office address. Online comments are easier to acknowledge if you include an email in your account.

Apply for planning permission

Use Doncaster’s application guidance and online application route. Check the validation list, fee, drawings and supporting statements before submitting.

Check if permission is needed

Use Doncaster’s permission checker for guidance. For formal proof, apply for a Certificate of Lawful Development because the checker is not a legal decision.

Report a planning breach

Search the planning history first. Some works may already have permission, prior approval, lawful development status or a condition discharge record.

Check older records

Planning histories are online from 1 January 2002, but older decision notices may need archive or land charges routes rather than Public Access.

Create the right account

Use the Public Access account for comments, tracking and saved searches. Do not assume your MyDoncaster login works for planning comments.

Track one case

Open the exact application and track it so you can receive updates about documents, status changes and decisions.

Save an area search

Save searches for a road, postcode, ward, parish, applicant or keyword if you want to monitor new applications in an area.

House extensions and outbuildings

Check permitted development limits, previous conditions, boundaries, roof changes, flats, listed status, conservation areas, protected trees and Article 4 directions.

HMO changes

Doncaster has an Article 4 Direction for small HMOs in defined areas including Town, Town Fields, Wheatley, Hexthorpe, Balby, Wheatley Hills, Intake and Belle Vue.

Protected trees

Tree Preservation Order work requires consent. Conservation area tree work usually needs six weeks’ written notice before work starts.

Listed buildings and local heritage

Listed building consent may be needed separately from planning permission. Local heritage assets can also be material considerations.

Lawful Development Certificate

Use an LDC when you need formal confirmation that an existing or proposed use or development is lawful.

Building regulations are separate

Even if planning permission is not needed, building regulations approval may still be required for structure, fire safety, drainage, insulation and accessibility.

Before you submit

• Choose the correct application type.
• Check if planning permission and building regulations approval are both needed.
• Read Doncaster’s local validation requirements and householder guidance.
• Prepare the fee or use the Planning Portal fee calculator.
• Prepare ownership certificates and notices where required.
• Check BNG, flood risk, SuDS, trees, heritage, coal/mining, contamination and transport triggers.
• Use pre-application advice for complex, sensitive or high-risk schemes.

Upload rules to check

• Submit all necessary documents in one go.
• Keep single attachments within the listed 5MB limit.
• Keep the total application file size within the listed 25MB limit.
• Attach drawings as PDF files unless the council requires another original format, such as BNG calculation spreadsheets.
• Also provide a PDF copy where a spreadsheet is required.
• Categorise drawings by type.
• Title documents clearly and use unique drawing reference numbers.

Public Access User Guide — Updated May 2025

Use it for register workflow: simple search, advanced search, weekly/monthly lists, property search, map search, account features, tracking and saved searches.

• Search Applications, Appeals and Enforcements separately.
• Create a Public Access account for comments and alerts.
• Use saved searches for roads, wards, parishes or keywords.
• Use map search for sites without a simple postal address.

Householder Guidance — Updated September 2025

Use this before submitting an extension or domestic-property application. It explains what information is required and gives examples of required plans.

• Prepare existing and proposed elevations and plans.
• Show scale, north point, boundaries and dimensions.
• Check neighbours, windows, roofs, parking and trees.
• Do not rely on permitted development assumptions if your property has restrictions.

Local Validation Requirements

Use the local list to check mandatory and additional information. It is built to help applicants, consultees, residents and decision makers understand the proposal.

• Match the checklist to the application type and scale.
• Use pre-application advice if the local-list trigger is unclear.
• Provide a document schedule if evidence is split across documents.
• Expect case-by-case requests where needed for proper assessment.

Amendments Protocol — From May 2025

Doncaster introduced a new practice for negotiating and accepting amendments to planning applications. Applicants should consider this before submission rather than assuming major revisions will be accepted later.

• Get the application as close to complete as possible before submission.
• Do not treat amendments as a way to fix a weak application late.
• Watch for consultation-response timing where amendments are made.

Flood risk and drainage

Doncaster’s SFRA considers tidal, river, surface water, sewer and groundwater flooding. Flood risk, SuDS and drainage evidence can be material to site layout and validation.

Biodiversity Net Gain

Doncaster has adopted a BNG Supplementary Planning Document and provides further guidance for developers, applicants and ecological consultants.

Coal and ground risk

Doncaster’s planning information includes Coal Authority notifications. Former mining and ground conditions can affect development evidence and risk checks.

HMO Article 4 areas

Small HMO changes in the defined Doncaster Article 4 area may need planning permission even where permitted development would otherwise apply.

Heritage and conservation

Listed buildings, conservation areas and local heritage assets can affect windows, doors, roofs, demolition, external painting, signage and design details.

Protected trees and development sites

Development sites containing or adjacent to trees should include a BS5837:2012 tree survey where relevant. Protected tree works can be a criminal offence without consent.

If permission is approved

Read the decision notice and approved plan list. Check pre-commencement conditions, BNG, drainage, highways, materials, tree protection and landscaping conditions before work starts.

If conditions need discharge

Some conditions need formal written approval. If you need confirmation that conditions have already been discharged, Doncaster says the appropriate confirmation form is required and a fee applies.

If permission is refused

Read each refusal reason. You may need revised drawings, missing evidence, pre-application advice, a fresh application or an appeal route.

If you want to appeal

There is no third-party right of appeal against a grant of planning permission. Applicants usually have six months, but householder, minor commercial, advertisement and enforcement-linked appeals can have shorter deadlines.