Block Plans and Site Plans for Planning

Almost every UK planning application is validated - or bounced - on two drawings before an officer even reads the forms: a location plan and a site plan, the second usually called a block plan. Ordnance Survey says inaccurate, outdated or unlicensed mapping is the most common reason applications are rejected at validation. This guide sorts out what each plan shows, the scales and red-line rules councils check for, and how to draw the measured block plan on an iPhone or iPad with RoomPlot.

The two plans, three names

• Location plan - the wide view, at 1:1250 for most urban and suburban sites or 1:2500 for rural or larger sites. It pinpoints the property in its surrounding streets with the application site edged in red, and it must be based on up-to-date, licensed Ordnance Survey mapping - not a site measure.
• Site plan, also called a block plan - the zoomed-in view, typically 1:200 or 1:500 (some authorities also accept 1:100 for small householder jobs). It shows the building and its immediate plot in detail: boundaries, outbuildings, driveway, adjacent streets and the distances from the proposed works to each boundary.

In short: the location plan says where, the block plan says what, and how close to the edges. Most householder applications - extensions, loft conversions, outbuildings - need both, and the same pair is asked for with lawful development certificate and planning permission applications.

What the location plan must show

Because the location plan uses licensed OS base mapping, you buy it rather than draw it - the Planning Portal and OS-approved resellers sell application-ready plans for a few pounds. Validation teams check that it has:

• A standard metric scale - 1:1250 or 1:2500 - printed to fit A4 or A3 paper, with the survey date or OS licence number shown.
• A red line around all land needed for the development - not just the building, but any access from the public highway, visibility splays, parking and landscaping.
• A blue line around any other land you own next to or near the site.
• A north point and enough surrounding context to identify the site - many authorities ask for at least two named roads.

Buy the map close to submission: several councils require the plan to have been purchased within the last 12 months. Exact validation rules vary slightly, so check your local planning authority's checklist before you upload.

What the block plan must show

The block plan is the drawing you can produce yourself from a site visit. Typical council checklists ask it to show, at 1:200 or 1:500:

• The footprint of the existing building and the proposed works, with written dimensions to each boundary - the numbers a planning officer reads first.
• The position and width of adjacent streets, plus buildings, roads and footpaths on adjoining land.
• Boundary treatments (walls and fences), hard surfacing, parking arrangements and trees on or next to the site.
• Any public rights of way crossing or bordering the plot.
• A north point that matches the location plan.

Draw the block plan in RoomPlot

1. Capture the building. Scan it with the LiDAR AR scan on an iPhone or iPad Pro, or draw the footprint by hand with smart snapping on any device - see drawing without LiDAR if yours lacks the sensor.
2. Add the plot. Use RoomPlot's exterior objects - fence, driveway, deck, tree and parking bay - and a dashed boundary symbol for the red line around the site.
3. Set the orientation. Drop the North marker and rotate it to the real heading; both plans in the application must agree on which way north points.
4. Dimension it. Turn on on-plan dimensions and record the distance from the proposed works to every boundary, working in metric - UK planning drawings are metric-scaled.
5. Label it. Add a zone label to name the house and each outbuilding, and use the automatic area calculation to note plot or footprint sizes where useful.

Get the scale right on paper

A block plan has to read at a recognised scale even when the council prints it, so include a scale bar from RoomPlot's real-estate symbols and export at a true paper size. Keep boundary lines continuous, keep every label inside its own space, and state the scale and paper size ("1:200 at A4") in a corner of the sheet.

Export for the application

Councils accept clear PDFs through the Planning Portal. Export an A4 PDF at 300 dpi for upload, or a DXF if your architect wants the geometry in CAD to finish the drawing set. If you would rather hand over a branded pack, RoomPlot's multi-page report adds your details and a legend around the plan. Everything else is in our guides.

Know which plan is which and half the confusion disappears. Draw the block plan in RoomPlot, pair it with a licensed OS location plan bought in the last year, and your application clears validation instead of joining the rejection pile.