Planning in the UK is well known for being a long-winded, expensive and often frustrating process. However, although it’s necessary to protect our green and pleasant land from unsightly developments, problems with lack of suitable land for structures or developments are making life problematic for businesses needing extra storage capacity. The logistics industry in particular is suffering, as warehouse rents continue to rise due to a lack of suitable warehousing to meet growing demand.

However, when it comes to temporary structures, planning law is not so clear cut. The positioning of temporary buildings or structures is subject to a different process. Firstly, a structure that is going to stand for 28 days or less will NOT require planning permission. This means that it is quite possible to erect a temporary building without prior permission. If the structure stands for over 28 days, you can then apply for retrospective planning permission should the planning officer ask you to. Should your retrospective planning permission fail, then you will be required to remove the building.

As applying for permission before erecting the structure can take some months to finalise, and there would be little damage to your business should retrospective planning fail and you have to remove it, this can often be the best plan for structures required for only a short time. Alternatively, should you want to put in a planning application for your building, then you will need drawn plans for submission to the planning officer, but also check first that no exemptions to your planned building apply. For instance, land with existing permission for development may make you exempt. So to save time and money always do your research first.