Planning

Welcome to planning and building control at Bolton council

These pages will give you all the information you need to make an application for planning permission or building regulations.

We offer a pre-application advice service on your planning proposals before you submit your application. For more information, see pre-application planning advice.

As part of our commitment to improving the way we work, we are currently reviewing and updating our forms, guidance and supplementary documents, including identifying items that are no longer relevant.

If you cannot find what you are looking for and require assistance, please contact our teams on:

• Planning - planning.control@bolton.gov.uk
• Building Control – building.control@bolton.gov.uk

Immediate Article 4 Direction

On Friday 13 June 2025 Bolton Council introduced a boroughwide immediate Article 4 Direction removing the permitted development right to convert a dwellinghouse (Class C3) into an House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) (Class C4) for up to six residents.

The effect of this is that as of 13 June 2025 all such conversions require planning permission. This includes cases where buildings have been modified but had not yet been occupied as HMOS on June 13. Conversions of dwellings to HMOs for seven or more residents continue to require planning permission. Please see Article 4 Direction and Article 4 Direction Notice.

Members of the public can make representations on the Article 4 Direction on the Immediate Article 4 Direction section of the consultations page.