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Conditions · for specialist consultants

Alerts when planning conditions need discharging, for specialist consultants

When a council grants permission, it often attaches conditions that need a specialist: a bat survey, a drainage scheme, a tree protection plan, a construction management plan. Tell us your discipline or the phrases you look for, and we email you those conditions from recent decisions, once a day.

Conditions plan

£99 a month + VAT

or £990 a year + VAT (two months free)

  • Includes everything in Leads.
  • Cancel any time.

Prices exclude VAT. UK VAT at 20% is added at checkout, you can add your VAT number there, and every payment comes with a VAT invoice.

What came through in the last four weeks

Live counts, so you can judge the volume in your own field before you pay. We do not promise a number per discipline: the busy fields are busy, and the quiet ones are shown as they are.
Decisions with conditions for specialists
976
Councils they came from
143

By discipline: decisions in the last 4 weeks

  • Ecology148
  • Landscape119
  • Trees & arboriculture116
  • Drainage & flood risk99
  • External lighting69
  • Transport & highways64
  • Refuse & recycling50
  • Construction management49
  • Contaminated land46
  • Materials & details46
  • Levels & structural39
  • Air quality38
  • Noise & acoustics38
  • Fire safety31
  • Highways & access28
  • Energy & sustainability25
  • Heritage & archaeology20
  • Sustainability & water17
  • Land stability & mining6
  • Aviation safeguarding1

Decided applications with at least one condition calling for specialist work, from notices we read in the last 4 weeks. One decision can need several disciplines. Measured 3 October 2026, updated hourly.

What is discharge of planning conditions?

Planning conditions are requirements a council attaches to a planning permission. Some only need to be followed, such as building in the approved materials. Others ask for something to be submitted and approved: an ecological survey, a landscaping scheme, a surface water drainage design, a tree protection plan or a construction management plan.

Getting that approval is called discharging the condition. The applicant, usually through their agent, sends the council the details the condition asks for, and the council approves them or asks for changes. Pre-commencement conditions must be discharged before any work starts on site, which is why applicants often need a specialist quickly once permission is granted.

Most of those details are prepared by consultants. A condition alert brings the decision to you in a daily email, so you can offer the work while the applicant is still looking for someone to do it. This page describes the process in general terms and is not legal or planning advice.

What a condition alert looks like

A real condition from a public decision notice, as it would reach an ecologist.
Newark and Sherwood·26/00889/HOUSEEcology

Decided 30 September 2026 · Proposed two storey extension to front, side and rear of property together with single storey lean-to extension to front and rear.

Condition 4

Prior to completion of the proposed extensions, details of bat boxes/bricks shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The nest boxes/bricks shall then be installed, prior to occupation, in accordance with the approved details and retained thereafter for the lifetime of the development unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

Reason given: In the interests of maintain and enhancing biodiversity.

Quoted from the council's published decision notice. The site address is left out here; it is included in alerts where we have it.

What you get

  • Alerts by phrase or discipline

    Use phrases such as "bat survey" or "surface water drainage", pick disciplines such as ecology or arboriculture, or both.

  • Nationwide or your councils

    Cover the whole country, or only the councils you work in.

  • The condition in full

    Each alert gives the condition text, the council, the reference and the decision date, with a link to the application.

  • Recent decisions only

    Old decisions picked up late are left out, so what you receive is still live work.

  • Everything in Leads

    Keyword lead alerts, lead details, a lead pipeline and wider search, all included.

  • API access

    The Leads allowance of API records, including the conditions endpoints. See the API.

Who it is for

Consultants whose work starts when a condition is imposed: ecology, landscape, drainage and flood risk, arboriculture, contaminated land, transport and highways, noise and acoustics, external lighting, construction management, structural and levels, materials and details, and refuse and recycling.

Looking for consultants instead? Browse the consultants directory.

How to use it

  1. Start the plan

    £99 a month or £990 a year + VAT. Cancel any time.

  2. Set your alerts

    In My searches, open the Conditions tab and add your phrases, disciplines and councils.

  3. Read your daily email

    Matching conditions from recent decisions, with the text and a link to each application.

  4. Make contact

    Approach the applicant or their agent, who has to get the condition discharged before or during the build.

Prices exclude VAT. UK VAT at 20% is added at checkout, you can add your VAT number there, and every payment comes with a VAT invoice.

Common questions

What is a planning condition?

A requirement a council attaches when it grants permission. Many need something submitted and approved before or during building, such as a bat survey, a drainage scheme, a tree protection plan or a construction management plan. Each one is work for a specialist.

What does discharge of conditions mean?

Discharging a planning condition means getting the council's written approval of the details the condition asks for, such as a scheme, a survey or a plan. The applicant submits those details to the council, which approves them or asks for changes. Some conditions only need to be complied with and are never formally discharged.

Is a construction management plan a planning condition?

Often, yes. Many permissions include a condition requiring a construction management plan to be submitted and approved before work starts, covering matters such as deliveries, working hours, parking and dust. It is one of the disciplines you can choose alerts for.

What is a pre-commencement condition?

A condition that must be discharged before any work starts on site. The applicant has to submit the details and have them approved first, which is why they often need a consultant quickly.

How do I choose what I'm alerted to?

By phrase, such as "bat survey" or "surface water drainage", by discipline, such as ecology or arboriculture, or both. You can cover the whole country or only the councils you choose.

How soon after a decision will I see a condition?

It depends on when the council publishes its decision notice, and some councils publish later than others. We email you once a day, and only send conditions from recent decisions, so you are not sent work that is months old.

How many conditions will I get?

It depends on your disciplines and the area you cover. The figures on this page are live counts for the last four weeks, so you can see the volume in your field before you pay. Some fields, such as ecology, trees and drainage, are far busier than others.

What is in each alert?

The condition text, its number, the council, the application reference, the site address where we have it and the decision date, with a link to the full application.

Is this legal or planning advice?

No. Alerts show what a council's decision notice says. Always read the full notice on the council's website, and check what each condition requires with the council.

Can I cancel?

Yes, any time from your account. You keep access until the end of the period you have paid for.

Step-by-step guides are in the help centre.

Other ways to use Planning Signal