Department for Communities and Local Government

• Planning, building and the environment
• The planning system
• Planning circulars and letters

Planning, building and the environment

Planning circulars and 'Dear Chief Planning Officer' letters

These documents provide non-statutory advice and guidance on particular issues to expand on subjects referred to in legislation.

Circulars are used to explain policy and regulation more fully. Many circulars are quasi-legislative and include a direction or requirement to take specific action. Letters are used to provide key communication between central and local government.

Many circulars and letters include guidance on implementation of aspects of planning policy.

In this section

• Planning circulars

Related publications

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Transfer of Compulsory Purchase Orders and Land Disposal Work to National Planning Casework Unit

  • Published: 11 April 2012
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: New planning provisions coming into force on 6 April 2012

  • Published: 4 April 2012
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Sensitive Information in Planning Applications

  • Published: 4 April 2012
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: National Planning Policy Framework

  • Published: 27 March 2012
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Local Authorities (Contracting Out of Community Infrastructure Levy Functions) Order 2011

  • Published: 26 January 2012
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Housing Design Awards 2012

  • Published: 25 January 2012
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Householder permitted development rights for micro wind turbines and air source heat pumps

  • Published: 5 December 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: The Town and Country Planning Order 2011 and the Town and Country Planning Regulations 2011

  • Published: 15 September 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Advertising Control - Provision of DCLG guidance

  • Published: 16 August 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Policy statement on planning for schools development

  • Published: 15 August 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Planning support for businesses and shops

  • Published: 12 August 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Planning Guarantee and information requirements

  • Published: 29 July 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Design and Planning

  • Published: 20 May 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Liberalisation of Change of Use

  • Published: 8 April 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Demolition

  • Published: 31 March 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Planning for Growth

  • Published: 31 March 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Update to Planning Policy Statement 10

  • Published: 30 March 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Preparation and Monitoring of Local Plans

  • Published: 30 March 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Marine planning and licensing systems

  • Published: 21 March 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Planning Policy on Residential Parking Standards, Parking Charges, and Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

  • Published: 14 January 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers and Chief Executives: The EU Waste Framework Directive

  • Published: 10 January 2011
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Abolition of Regional Strategies

  • Published: 10 November 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Publication of Revised Circulars on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and Article 4 Directions

  • Published: 4 November 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Transfer of Government Office for London's planning casework to Communities and Local Government

  • Published: 12 October 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: The Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) Order 2010

  • Published: 9 September 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Amendments to the planning rules for houses in multiple occupation

  • Published: 7 September 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Revocation of Regional Strategies

  • Published: 6 July 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: New Powers for Local Authorities to Stop 'Garden Grabbing'

  • Published: 15 June 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Abolition of Regional Strategies

  • Published: 27 May 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Implementing some key Killian Pretty Recommendations

  • Published: 16 March 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications and Deemed Applications) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2010

  • Published: 26 February 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Area Based Grant - Climate Change New Burdens

  • Published: 14 January 2010
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) - Implications of recent judgments

  • Published: 18 November 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Arrangements for Handling Heritage Applications - Notification and Directions by the Secretary of State (England) Direction 2009

  • Published: 13 November 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: National Policy Statements

  • Published: 9 November 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Extensions to the time limits for implementing existing planning permissions - Non material amendments

  • Published: 22 September 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Sensitive Information in Planning Applications (SIPA)

  • Published: 24 August 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Local Authorities' Role in New Consenting Process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects

  • Published: 16 July 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: National and regional guidelines for aggregates provision in England - 2005-2020

  • Published: 29 June 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: UK Climate Projections 2009

  • Published: 18 June 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Planning for Housing and Economic Recovery

  • Published: 12 May 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Implementation of Planning Policy Statement 25 (PPS25) - Development and Flood Risk

  • Published: 7 May 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Duration of planning permissions

  • Published: 30 April 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: New Town and Country Planning (Consultation) (England) Direction 2009 and cancellation of obsolete planning documents

  • Published: 30 March 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Planning and Climate Change Update

  • Published: 20 January 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Large-scale Landscaping Development Using Waste

  • Published: 20 January 2009
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Model planning conditions for development on land affected by contamination

  • Published: 30 May 2008
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Polytunnels

  • Published: 25 July 2007
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Sensitive Information in Applications for Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent

  • Published: 24 May 2007
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Planning Applications: Arrangements for Consulting Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment as a Non-Statutory Consultee

  • Published: 6 December 2006
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: The Sale of Rural Plots and the Planning Consequences

  • Published: 19 April 2004
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Circular 11/95 - Use of Negative Conditions

  • Published: 25 November 2002
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

• Circular letter and quarterly tables on Compulsory Purchase: Rates of Interest After Entry

  • Published: 12 March 1997
  • Site: Planning, building and the environment

Archived content

• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: National Planning Casework Unit (2011)
• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: The Localism Bill
• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: National Planning Policy Framework
• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Development and Flood Risk - Update to the Practice Guide to Planning Policy Statement 25
• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Development on Garden Land
• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: The Planning Bill - delivering well designed homes and high quality places
• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Promoting Planning Performance Agreements
• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Consultation on River Basin Management Plans
• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Applications for Outline Planning Permission, Applications for approval of reserved matters and EIA procedure: The Effect of ECJ judgments in the cases of Ex parte Barker and Crystal Palace/White City
• Letter to Chief Executives: Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications and Deemed Applications) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2005
• Letter to Chief Planning Officers: Best Value Performance Indicator - Quality of Service Checklist