Planning Jersey
Planning in Jersey: applications, listed buildings and consents
Heritage Planners handle planning in Jersey from first sketch to decision notice: planning applications, listed building consents and alterations to protected properties. We prepare the drawings, submit to the Government of Jersey Planning Department and deal with the officers on your behalf. Start with the guide that matches your project, or book a free site consultation.
Planning in Jersey, and the projects we take on
Planning in Jersey is administered by the Government of Jersey's Planning and Building Services, with heritage matters reviewed by the Historic Environment Team. Most alterations that change the appearance of a building — new windows and doors, dormers, or work to a listed property — need permission before work starts.
For the official Government of Jersey rules — permission, the register, fees, timelines and neighbour consultation — see our planning applications guide.
Replacement windows and doors
Our most frequent work: like-for-like timber replacements and upgrades on historic and modern properties alike.
Alterations
Dormers, garden rooms and internal reconfiguration on granite and traditional Jersey homes.
Works to protected properties
Alterations and repairs where the property is listed or sits within a sensitive historic setting.
Regularising completed works
Retrospective applications where work has already been carried out without the permission it needed.
The Process
How a Jersey planning application works, step by step
- Step 1
Free site consultation
We visit the property, look at the fabric and the constraints, and tell you honestly what the planning department is likely to accept.
- Step 2
Measured survey and drawings
Existing and proposed CAD elevations, plans and sections, drawn to the standard the Jersey Planning Department expects.
- Step 3
Heritage justification
For Grade 1 to Grade 4 listed properties we prepare the heritage impact statement explaining why the works are appropriate.
- Step 4
Submission and fees
We complete and submit the application, pay the fee on your behalf and confirm validation with the department.
- Step 5
Consultation and officer queries
Applications are publicly advertised and reviewed by the Historic Environment Team where listing applies. We answer every query directly.
- Step 6
Decision
Once the decision notice is issued we pass the approved drawings and conditions to you and your contractor, ready for the build phase.
Every case is different, but the pattern is consistent. You can see the outcome of that process in our record of approved planning applications in Jersey, listed by planning reference.
The Document Pack
The documents we prepare for your submission
The correct Jersey planning forms, filled in accurately with ownership certificates and the right description of works.
Accurate, correctly scaled site and location plans prepared to the standard the Planning Department requires.
Measured CAD elevations, floor plans and sections showing the building as it is and as it will be after the works.
Item-by-item schedules with joinery sections and profile details, so officers can see exactly what is being repaired or replaced.
For listed and conservation-area properties, the written justification explaining why the works are appropriate to the fabric.
Photographic condition surveys and timber decay reports that evidence the case for repair or like-for-like replacement.
Costs
What a Jersey planning application costs
Government of Jersey application fee
Set by the department according to the type and scale of the works. We confirm the exact figure for your project and pay it on submission so validation is not held up.
Our professional fee
A fixed figure quoted after the free site visit, covering the survey, drawings, reports and correspondence with the case officer.
What moves the figure
How many elevations need surveying and drawing, whether a heritage impact statement is required, and how many window or door items need scheduling.
Free initial consultation
The site visit itself costs nothing. If your works do not need permission, we tell you that rather than sell you an application.
We do not quote blind. The free site visit tells us how many drawings and reports the property needs, and the fixed quote follows from that.
Permission
Do I need planning permission in Jersey?
The honest answer depends on your property and exactly what changes. As a general guide, the list below reflects what we see approved and refused week to week. If your property is listed, treat every item as needing consent until it is confirmed otherwise.
Usually needs permission
- Replacing windows or doors where the appearance, material or opening size changes
- Any works affecting the character of a listed building or listed place
- New dormers, roof lights on a visible roof slope, or changes to the roof shape
- Extensions, garden rooms and outbuildings beyond what permitted development allows
- Changes to boundary walls, railings and gates on a historic or street-facing frontage
- Works already carried out that needed permission and did not have it
Often does not
- Genuine like-for-like repair using the same materials, profiles and detailing
- Routine maintenance such as redecoration, draught-proofing and re-glazing with matching glass
- Internal work to a property that is not listed, where the plan form is not protected
- Small works that fall within permitted development on an unlisted property — unless a previous planning condition removed those rights
Nothing here replaces the official position. Check the Government of Jersey rules on our planning applications guide page, or ask us at the free site visit and we will tell you plainly.
Timescales
How long a Jersey planning application takes
3 to 4 weeks to submission
From the date of the site survey we normally take three to four weeks to prepare the drawings, reports and forms and submit the application. Larger or more complex applications may take longer, for example where additional specialist reports are required.
8 weeks for minor applications
The Planning Department aims to issue a decision within eight weeks for minor applications. Replacement windows and doors fall into this category.
13 weeks for major applications
Larger applications are worked to a 13-week target. Consultation responses and officer queries can extend either timescale.
Then the build phase
Approval comes with conditions. We hand the approved drawings and conditions to you and your contractor so the works on site match exactly what was permitted.
Common Questions
Jersey planning permission questions
Core guides
- The ProcessPlanning Applications in JerseyHow the register works, validation and registration, site notices, the 21-day comment period, decision targets, withdrawals and appeals.
- Listed PropertyListed Properties in JerseyUnderstanding Grade 1 to Grade 4 listings, the Jersey register, and what alterations are realistically achievable on a protected home.
- MaintenanceHeritage Maintenance and Repairs in JerseyOn-site maintenance and repairs to windows, doors, dormers and structural elements for listed and period properties.
Further Reading
Projects, news and answers
Recent approvals, heritage news and the questions Jersey owners ask most often.
- Heritage news & insightsUpdates on listed building work and planning practice in Jersey.
- Approved planning applicationsOur record of Jersey approvals and listed building consents, by reference.
- Frequently asked questionsConsent, timescales, costs and what happens on a site visit.
- About Heritage PlannersWho we are and how we manage the process end to end.