{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/town-and-country-planning-general-development-order-1988/article-18",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/town-and-country-planning-general-development-order-1988/article-18.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1988/1813",
  "legislation_title": "The Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1988",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/town-and-country-planning-general-development-order-1988",
  "path": "article/18",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "18",
  "heading": "Consultations before the grant of permission",
  "text": "(1) Before granting permission for development which, in their opinion, falls within a category set out in the table below, a local planning authority shall consult the authority or person mentioned in relation to that category, except where—\n(i) the local planning authority are the authority so mentioned;\n(ii) the local planning authority are required to consult the authority so mentioned under articles 19 or 20; or\n(iii) the authority or person so mentioned has advised the local planning authority that they do not wish to be consulted.\nTABLE\nPara\nDescription of Development\nConsultee\n(a)\nDevelopment likely to affect land in Greater London or in a metropolitan county\nThe local planning authority concerned\n(b)\nDevelopment likely to affect land in a non-metropolitan county, other than land in a National Park\nThe district planning authority concerned\n(c)\nDevelopment likely to affect land in a National Park\nThe county planning authority concerned\n(d)\nDevelopment involving the manufacture, processing, keeping or use of a hazardous substance in such circumstances that there will at any one time be, or is likely to be, a notifiable quantity of such substance in, on, over or under any land\nThe Health and Safety Executive\n(e)\nDevelopment likely to result in a material increase in the volume or a material change in the character of traffic—\n(i) entering or leaving a trunk road; or\nIn England, the Secretary of State for Transport, in Wales the Secretary of State for Wales\n(ii) using a level crossing over a railway\nThe British Railways Board or other railway undertakers likely to be affected, and in England, the Secretary of State for Transport and, in Wales, the Secretary of State for Wales\n(f)\nDevelopment likely to result in a material increase in the volume or a material change in the character of traffic entering or leaving a classified or proposed road\nThe local highway authority concerned\n(g)\nDevelopment likely to prejudice the improvement or construction of a classified or proposed road\nThe local highway authority concerned\n(h)\nDevelopment involving the formation, laying out or alteration of any means of access to a highway (other than a trunk road)\nThe local highway authority concerned\n(i)\nDevelopment which involves the provision of a building or pipeline in an area of coal working notified by the British Coal Corporation to the local planning authority\nThe British Coal Corporation\n(j)\nDevelopment involving or including mining operations\nThe water authority concerned\n(k)\nDevelopment involving or including the winning and working of coal by opencast methods\nThe Secretary of State for Energy\n(l)\nDevelopment within three kilometres of Windsor Castle, Windsor Great Park, or Windsor Home Park, or within 800 metres of any other royal palace or park, which might affect the amenities (including security) of that palace or park\nThe Secretary of State for the Environment\n(m)\nDevelopment of land in Greater London involving the demolition, in whole or part, or the material alteration of a listed building\nThe Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission\n(n)\nDevelopment likely to affect the site of a scheduled ancient monument\nIn England, The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, in Wales, the Secretary of State for Wales\n(o)\nDevelopment involving the carrying out of works or operations in the bed of or on the banks of a river or stream\nThe water authority concerned\n(p)\nDevelopment for the purpose of refining or storing mineral oils and their derivatives\nThe water authority concerned\n(q)\nDevelopment involving the use of land for the deposit of refuse or waste\nThe water authority concerned\n(r)\nDevelopment relating to the retention, treatment or disposal of sewage, trade-waste, slurry or sludge (other than the laying of sewers, the construction of pumphouses in a line of sewers, the construction of septic tanks and cesspools serving single dwelling-houses or single caravans or single buildings in which not more than ten people will normally reside, work or congregate, and works ancillary thereto)\nThe water authority concerned\n(s)\nDevelopment relating to the use of land as a cemetery\nThe water authority concerned\n(t)\nDevelopment in an area of special scientific interest of which notification has been given or has effect as if given to the local planning authority by the Nature Conservancy Council in accordance with section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981\nThe Nature Conservancy Council\n(u)\nDevelopment involving any land on which there is a theatre as defined in the Theatres Trust Act 1976\nThe Theatres Trust\n(v)\nDevelopment which is not for agricultural purposes and is not in accordance with the provisions of a development plan and involves—\n(i) the loss of not less than 20 hectares of grades 1, 2 or 3a agricultural land which is for the time being used (or was last used) for agricultural purposes; or\n(ii) the loss of less than 20 hectares of grades 1, 2 or 3a agricultural land which is for the time being used (or was last used) for agricultural purposes, in circumstances in which the development is likely to lead to a further loss of agricultural land amounting cumulatively to 20 hectares or more\nIn England, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and in Wales, the Secretary of State for Wales\n(w)\nDevelopment within 250 metres of land which—\n(i) is or has, at any time in the 30 years before the relevant application, been used for the deposit of refuse or waste; and\n(ii) has been notified to the local planning authority by the waste disposal authority for the purposes of this provision\nThe waste disposal authority concerned.\n(2) In paragraph (1)(w) “waste disposal authority” means—\n(a) in the area of the London Waste Regulation Authority, the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority or the Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority respectively, that authority;\n(b) elsewhere in England, the county council or metropolitan district council; or\n(c) in Wales, the district council.\n(3) The Secretary of State may give directions to a local planning authority requiring that authority to consult with any person or body named in the directions, in any case or class of case specified in the directions.\n(4) Where, by or under this article, a local planning authority are required to consult any person or body (“the consultee”) before granting planning permission—\n(a) they shall, unless an applicant has served a copy of an application for planning permission on the consultee, give notice of the application to the consultee; and\n(b) they shall not determine the application until at least 14 days after the date on which notice is given under paragraph (a), or if earlier, 14 days after the date of service of a copy of the application on the consultee by the applicant.\n(5) The local planning authority shall, in determining the application, take into account any representations received from a consultee.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "1981 c. 69."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f2",
      "text": "1976 c. 27."
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f3",
      "text": "Established by Schedule 1 of the Waste Regulation and Disposal (Authorities) Order 1985 (S.I. 1985/1884)."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1991/2805",
      "affecting_title": "The Town and Country Planning General Development (Amendment) (No. 3) Order 1991"
    },
    {
      "type": "added",
      "affecting": "uksi/1991/2805",
      "affecting_title": "The Town and Country Planning General Development (Amendment) (No. 3) Order 1991"
    },
    {
      "type": "revoked",
      "affecting": "uksi/1994/2595",
      "affecting_title": "The Town and Country Planning General Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 1994"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1994/2595",
      "affecting_title": "The Town and Country Planning General Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 1994"
    },
    {
      "type": "substituted",
      "affecting": "uksi/1992/658",
      "affecting_title": "The Town and Country Planning General Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 1992"
    },
    {
      "type": "amended",
      "affecting": "uksi/1989/1590",
      "affecting_title": "The Town and Country Planning General Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 1989"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1988/1813/article/18",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T15:56:26.565388+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}