Almost every UK planning application asks for two drawings before anyone looks at your extension: a location plan and a site plan - the second often called a block plan. People muddle the three names constantly. This guide sorts out what each one shows, which you need, and how to draw the detailed site-level plan on an iPhone or iPad with RoomPlot.
The three plans, sorted
- Location plan - the wide view, usually at 1:1250. It pinpoints the property in its surrounding streets with the application site edged red. It comes from Ordnance Survey mapping data, not from a site measure.
- Site plan, also called a block plan - a zoomed-in view, typically 1:100, 1:200 or 1:500. It shows the building and its immediate plot in detail: the boundaries, the outbuildings, the driveway and the distances from the 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 need both.
Tip. RoomPlot draws the measured block/site plan - the building, the plot and the dimensions. The 1:1250 location plan must come from an Ordnance Survey mapping provider, because it uses licensed OS base mapping. Pair the two in your application.
Draw the block plan in RoomPlot
The block plan is the one you can produce yourself from a site visit. Measure the building footprint and the plot, then build it up:
- Capture the building. Scan it with LiDAR on an iPhone or iPad Pro, or draw the footprint by hand from a room-shape template on any device.
- 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.
- Set the orientation. Drop the north arrow and rotate it to the real heading; a block plan must show which way north points.
- Dimension it. Turn on on-plan dimensions and record the distances from the proposed works to each boundary - the number planners look for first.
Get the scale and the details right
A block plan has to be drawn at a recognised scale, so include a scale bar from RoomPlot's real-estate symbols and export at a true paper size. Add a zone label to name the building and any outbuildings, and use the area calculation if you want to note plot or footprint sizes. Keep the boundaries continuous and every label inside its own space so the drawing reads cleanly.
Export for the application
Councils accept clear PDFs. 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 at our guides.
Know which plan is which and half the confusion disappears. Draw the block plan in RoomPlot, pair it with an OS location plan, and your application starts on the right foot.