How land gets built on
Plain-English guides to the planning rules that decide whether a field in England becomes housing. Each one links to the government policy, law and data it rests on.
How to find out if land near you will be built on
Where to look before you buy, or when you're worried about a field nearby: the Local Plan, the Call for Sites, the planning register, early warning signs and who owns the land.
What a Local Plan allocation means for land near you
How councils decide where new homes go, what it means when a field is allocated, how much a draft plan counts, and how the new 30-month plan system works.
Green Belt and grey belt: can it be built on?
What Green Belt protects, when building on it is allowed, what makes land grey belt, and the golden rules developers must meet.
Five-year housing land supply and the Housing Delivery Test, explained
Why a council that can't show five years of housing land, or that builds too few homes, finds it harder to refuse new housing on the edge of towns and villages.
The Call for Sites, land assessments and land promoters, explained
What it means when a field is put forward for development, how councils assess sites, what land promoters and option agreements are, and how long it takes to get from a field to homes.
How to object to a planning application
Who can comment, the deadlines, what the council can and can't take into account, and why the application stage is now usually your only chance.