Getting the plans right first time
Most planning applications that come back were never assessed at all — they failed the document check before anyone looked at the proposal. These pages cover the drawing side of that: what is normally expected, what the conventions mean, and where authorities differ.
Last reviewed 1 August 2026. General guidance only — see the note at the foot of this page.
Which plans and drawings a planning application needs
Most planning applications are refused a start rather than refused permission — the council returns them at validation because a drawing is missing or wrong. This is what a typical application is expected to contain, and where each drawing comes from.
ReadRed line and blue line boundaries on a planning application
The red line defines the application. It is the single most misunderstood mark on a planning drawing, and drawing it wrongly is the most common reason a location plan is sent back.
ReadPlan scales explained: 1:1250, 1:500, 1:200 and the rest
A council will check that a plan is genuinely at the scale it claims. That check is easy to fail by accident, usually in the last thirty seconds before submission, at the print dialogue.
ReadWhy planning applications fail validation
Validation is not a decision on your proposal. It is an administrative check that the paperwork is complete — and failing it stops the clock before it has started.
ReadSubmitting plans online: file formats, scale and what goes wrong
Most applications are now submitted online, either through the national portal or an authority’s own system. The drawings still have to be measurable at the other end, and the usual failures happen during export rather than during drawing.
ReadYour council’s requirements come first
England, Scotland and Wales run separate planning systems, and within each, every planning authority publishes its own validation requirements alongside the national ones. Those local requirements change, and they are what your application is actually measured against.
Nothing on these pages is a substitute for your own council’s current validation checklist, and none of it is legal or professional advice. Where the two differ, follow your council. Where something is unclear, their planning support team will normally answer a direct question about their own requirements — which is quicker than having an application returned.
The plans themselves
Location and block plans on current, licensed Ordnance Survey mapping at a true stated scale — red line boundary, north arrow, scale bar and our OS licence number. Draw your boundary and see the price before you buy.
Create your planRelated services
Site location plan 1:1250
The wider plan showing where your site sits among the surrounding roads.
Learn moreBlock plan 1:500
The closer plan showing buildings, boundaries and access on the site.
Learn moreOS plans for planning applications
How the map-based plans are prepared and what they must show.
Learn more