Building Plan Approval

What this covers

A building plan approval is the sanction that lets construction legally begin. The authority is checking whether your drawings comply with the Development Control Regulations that apply to your plot: permissible built-up area, setbacks, height, parking provision, margins and use.

Most rejections have nothing to do with the quality of the design. They happen because a drawing contradicts the area statement, a certificate is missing, or a regulation changed since the last time someone in the chain checked. That is what this service removes.

What we handle

• Thorough review of your architectural drawings before anything is submitted
• Verification against the current Development Control Regulations for your zone
• Preparation of the area statement and application forms
• Direct liaison with the municipal authority handling your file
• Handling queries and objections, with revisions where required
• Follow-up until the sanctioned plan is issued

Documents usually needed

An indicative list. We confirm exactly what applies to your project at the consultation, and help you obtain anything that is missing.

• Property ownership documents, such as the sale deed and Index II
• Latest property tax receipt
• Architectural drawings: site plan, floor plans, elevations and sections
• Structural drawings and the structural stability certificate
• Copy of the architect's and structural engineer's licences
• Area statement
• Completed application form for the relevant authority
• Other applicable NOCs, such as fire or environment

Where applications go wrong

The three recurring causes are a drawing set that was never reconciled with the area statement, a licence or certificate that has lapsed, and an assumption that last year's regulation still applies. All three are avoidable at the desk, before submission.

We also see projects submitted in the wrong order, where a plan approval is filed before a land use certificate that it depends on. That guarantees a rejection regardless of the drawings.

If your plan has already been rejected

Bring us the rejection or objection letter. In most cases the fix is narrower than it looks, and a properly prepared resubmission moves faster than a fresh application. We will tell you honestly if a redesign is genuinely required.