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Ownership certificates

All planning applications must include a certificate showing details of site ownership.  The certificate is proof that an applicant has told, or is, the owner.

An owner is defined as

  • a person having a freehold or leasehold interest with an unexpired term not less than seven years
  • landlord and any tenants, if applicable

Not following the proper process can result in your planning application being rejected. 

Types of certificates

An applicant must send us one of the following with their application:

  • Certificate A - completed when an applicant is the owner of all land within the boundaries of the application site. 
    • If the application is being made in the names of two people, certificate A is still valid as long as those two applicants are the only owners of the land in question
  • Certificate B - completed when an applicant knows the names and addresses of all other landowners
  • Certificate C - completed when an applicant knows the names and addresses of some, but not all, of the landowners
  • Certificate D - completed when an applicant does not know the names and addresses of any landowners

Written notice

For certificates B and C, an applicant must serve written notice on the owner(s) to tell them an application is being made. Verbal notification is not sufficient. Please provide proof of notice served with your application.

For certificates C and D, an applicant must advertise in the local press that they are making an application and do not know the owner(s) of some, or all, of the land. A copy of the published notice needs to be included with the application.

If an applicant has to serve notice on an organisation, they should address it to the secretary or clerk of the organisation at their registered or principal office.

Additional advice

Permission is not legal when the correct certificate has not been served, or when incorrect information is given.

If a certificate is inaccurate, a correct certificate will need to be signed and/or served before the application is decided. We will not make a decision on an application until a correct certificate has been received.

To avoid problems, we also recommend looking into land ownership and get land registry records to support your application.

Help and support

We have created the below guidance for ownership certificates. If you have any additional queries, please contact our Planning team through our contact page.