Design and approvals
Planning drawings and technical drawings: what is the difference?
Understand what you are buying, and avoid paying twice for work included in a package.
CompareYourBuild editorial · 8 September 2026 · Pilot guide
Two different purposes
Planning and building-control processes are separate. Planning information addresses the proposed development and its acceptability; technical information addresses how the work is to be constructed and the applicable building requirements. Approval in one process should not be read as approval in the other.
Ask exactly what a drawing package includes
A service description such as ‘extension drawings’ can cover different deliverables. Ask about measured survey, design options, planning drawings, technical details, revision allowance and coordination with the structural engineer. Application handling and the authority’s fees should be identified separately.
Tell us what you already have
Keep drawings with the decision notices, conditions and any structural information. Record the drawing revisions and whether the current extension proposal has changed. In your CompareYourBuild project, existing information is marked as reported in place until it has been reviewed.
The process depends on the UK nation
Use the official guidance for your property’s nation and its relevant authority. Scotland uses a building-warrant process. Our assessment routes by postcode and identifies supported checks; where the exact authority or rules need confirmation, the result says so. A postcode match does not check every restriction on an individual property.
Compare the package you need now
If planning drawings already exist, request a review or technical package rather than automatically starting again. If technical drawings are in the designer’s fee, record that inclusion before requesting a separate service. Structural design may still require a distinct scope and appointment.