People often use the word plans to mean everything in a planning application. That is understandable, but it causes a very specific kind of buying mistake. Someone asks what plans they need for planning permission, hears "location plan", "block plan", "floor plan", "elevations", maybe "roof plan", and then assumes they are all the same class of document that can be bought from one place in one format.
They are not. Some are maps. Some are architectural drawings. Some are supporting documents. Confusing those categories is how applicants end up buying the wrong product, asking the map provider for drawings the architect should prepare, or paying the architect to recreate mapping that could have been ordered correctly at the start.
This guide separates those pieces clearly. If you need the map side of the pack now, start with Ordnance Survey planning maps, then choose the site location plan and block plan you need. Add CAD planning maps only if the design team needs editable base mapping for the drawing set.
Need plans for planning permission?
What plans do you usually need for planning permission?
The short answer is that a standard planning submission often contains three categories of material:
- Planning maps
- Architectural drawings
- Supporting documents
For many domestic applications, the minimum practical map set is:
- a site location plan
- a block plan / site plan
Then, depending on the project, the architectural side often includes:
- floor plans
- elevations
- roof plans or sections where relevant
And the supporting side may include:
- design statements
- heritage information
- flood, tree, or highways reports where relevant
So if you are asking what plans for planning permission are required, the first useful distinction is not "which plan sounds familiar?" It is "which items are maps, which are drawings, and which are documents?"
At-a-glance table: maps vs drawings vs supporting documents
| Item | Category | What it does | Usually bought from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site location plan | Planning map | Identifies the site in its wider context | Planning map provider |
| Block plan / site plan | Planning map | Shows detailed site layout and proposal relationship | Planning map provider |
| Floor plans | Architectural drawing | Show internal layout | Architect / designer |
| Elevations | Architectural drawing | Show external appearance | Architect / designer |
| Roof plan | Architectural drawing | Shows roof layout where relevant | Architect / designer |
| CAD base map | Technical mapping file | Gives editable mapping for designers | CAD planning map provider |
| Statements / reports | Supporting document | Explain design, impact, or technical matters | Architect / consultant / specialist |
That single distinction prevents a lot of wasted time. The map provider supplies the mapping foundation. The architect or designer usually supplies the design drawings built on top of it.
The planning maps: what you can order now
Site location plan
This is the wider context map, usually at 1:1250, used to identify the site and define the application boundary. It is one of the most standard planning map requirements.
Block plan / site plan
This is the more detailed 1:500 map showing boundaries, buildings, access, and the detailed site relationship around the proposal.
CAD planning maps
These are editable DWG or DXF files used when an architect or consultant wants the base mapping in a format they can build drawings from.
The key buying point is that these are the map-side products. If you need to order something today and you are still at the planning-map stage, this is the category you are looking at.
The architectural drawings: what usually comes next
Once the mapping foundation is sorted, the design drawings explain the proposal itself.
Floor plans
These show the internal arrangement of the building, including rooms, walls, doors, and circulation. They are not planning maps.
Elevations
These show the outside appearance of the building from the front, side, and rear. Again, they are not planning maps. They sit alongside the maps.
Roof plans
These may be needed for loft conversions, dormers, or roof changes where the authority needs to understand the roof form clearly.
Sections or site-specific technical drawings
These may be required for more involved or unusual schemes.
The reason this matters commercially is simple: if you search plans for planning permission, some of the items on your list will be bought from a map provider, but others will be created by an architect or designer using that mapping as the base.
The supporting documents: not "plans", but still part of the pack
Applicants often bundle these mentally under the word "plans", but they are a separate category.
Depending on the project, the submission may also need:
- a design and access statement
- heritage information
- flood risk documents
- tree-related reports
- highways information
- ecology, drainage, or other specialist documents
These are not bought as map files and they are not architectural plans. They support the application by explaining constraints, design reasoning, or technical impact.
That distinction helps you avoid a common mistake: assuming the answer to "what plans do I need?" is just a shopping list of PDFs. It is really a list of different document types with different producers.
What should you order first?
For many buyers, the safest sequence is:
- Order the planning maps first
- Confirm whether the architect also needs CAD
- Let the design drawings be prepared from that mapped base
- Add supporting documents only where the project actually triggers them
Why that sequence?
Because the maps establish the site, the scale, and the boundary. They become the reference point for the rest of the application pack.
That means the most practical first purchase for many standard applications is the planning maps pack, especially where the project clearly needs both the site location plan and block plan.
At-a-glance table: maps vs drawings vs supporting documents.
By project type: what does the plan list usually look like?
Rear extension
Usually:
- site location plan
- block plan
- floor plans
- elevations
CAD is optional unless the designer wants editable base mapping.
Loft conversion
Usually:
- site location plan
- block plan
- floor plans
- elevations
- often roof-related drawings
CAD becomes more useful when the architect is preparing the full drawing set.
Garden room or outbuilding
Usually:
- site location plan
- block plan
- floor plan and elevations for the new structure
Dropped kerb or access changes
Usually:
- site location plan
- block plan
- possibly additional drawings depending on the authority and scope
Larger or technical site
Usually:
- broader location plan, sometimes 1:2500
- detailed site plan
- CAD mapping for the design team
- additional supporting reports if the site has constraints
When CAD helps bridge maps and drawings
CAD is where the mapping and drawing worlds meet most clearly.
It is still mapping, not a finished planning drawing. But it gives the architect or consultant the editable base they need to prepare:
- proposed plans
- elevations
- sections
- site layouts
- coordinated drawing sets
So if you are asking "What plans do I need for planning permission?" and the answer includes both bought maps and architect-prepared drawings, CAD is often the connector between those stages.
That is why it makes sense to ask early whether your designer wants DWG or DXF planning maps rather than discovering it after the PDFs have already been bought.
What the map provider solves and what the architect solves
This is one of the most commercially useful distinctions in the planning process.
The map provider solves:
- compliant site location plans
- compliant block plans
- editable mapping where CAD is required
The architect or designer solves:
- floor plans
- elevations
- roof plans
- sections
- the actual design representation of the proposal
That division matters because it tells you how to brief each party properly. If you need the mapped site foundation, buy it through Ordnance Survey planning maps. If you need the proposal drawn, brief the architect or designer using that mapped base.
5 common confusions that lead people to buy the wrong thing
1. Thinking a block plan is the same as a floor plan
It is not. A block plan shows the site from above; a floor plan shows the building interior.
2. Thinking a location plan replaces elevations
It does not. A location plan identifies the site; elevations show what the building will look like.
3. Assuming the map provider creates the whole planning drawing pack
Usually the map provider supplies the mapped base; the architect or designer prepares the design drawings.
4. Forgetting that the map pack itself may include two files
Many applicants think "a planning map" is singular, but most building-work applications need both a location plan and a detailed site plan.
5. Buying PDF when the design team needs editable mapping
If the architect wants DWG or DXF, CAD planning maps are the correct product, not another PDF.
Real scenarios: what should you order now?
"I am a homeowner and I have not spoken to an architect yet"
Start with the planning maps pack. That gives you the standard map foundation first.
"My architect asked me to get the maps"
Ask one follow-up question: do they want PDF only, or do they also want CAD planning maps? That determines whether you need just the map pack or the editable mapping too.
"The council checklist says location plan, block plan, floor plans and elevations"
Buy the site location plan and block plan. Then get the floor plans and elevations prepared as architectural drawings.
"I want to avoid ordering the wrong item"
Separate the list into categories: maps, drawings, and supporting documents. That immediately tells you what to buy and what to have prepared.
FAQ: plans for planning permission
Q: What plans are needed for planning permission?
A: For many standard applications, you need planning maps such as a site location plan and block plan, plus architectural drawings such as floor plans and elevations. Some projects also need supporting reports or statements.
Q: Is a location plan the same as a floor plan?
A: No. A location plan is a planning map showing where the site is. A floor plan is an architectural drawing showing the internal layout of the building.
Q: Do I need both a location plan and a block plan?
A: For most applications involving building work, yes. The location plan gives the wider context; the block plan gives the detailed site layout.
Q: Who prepares the drawings for planning permission?
A: Usually an architect, architectural technologist, or designer prepares the architectural drawings. A planning map provider supplies the compliant mapping base.
Q: When do I need CAD planning maps?
A: When the designer wants editable DWG or DXF mapping to build the wider drawing set.
Q: What is the easiest route if I am starting from scratch?
A: Start with Ordnance Survey planning maps, order the site location plan and block plan, then confirm whether your designer needs CAD before the drawings are prepared.
Conclusion
If you are searching for plans for planning permission, the most useful answer is not a vague list of document names. It is a structured one: planning maps identify and define the site, architectural drawings show the design, and supporting documents explain specific impacts or requirements.
That means the right starting point for many applicants is the map side of the submission: Ordnance Survey planning maps, the site location plan, and the block plan, with CAD planning maps added when the design team needs editable files.
Order the right planning maps now, then build the rest of the planning pack on the correct foundation.