What is the difference between a site plan and a location plan?

Planning applications often require you to submit a site and location plan. A common question the TerraQuest and ReQuestaPlan team often gets asked is, what is the difference between a site plan and a location plan?

What is a Site Plan?

A site plan, also known as a block plan, shows the proposed development in relation to the property boundary. They are usually submitted at a scale of either 1:200 or 1:500.

Site plans should include the size and position of the existing building and any extensions proposed, in relation to the property boundary. They should include the position/use of any other buildings within the property boundary.

They should also include the position and width of any adjacent streets, and the direction of north.

What Does a Site Plan Look Like?

This example shows a snippet of a site plan in scale 1:500

What Is A Location Plan?

A location plan may be required by a planning authority as part of your planning application, in addition to a site plan. It is more in-depth than a site plan, showing the site boundaries and more detail of the proposed development.

The site of the proposed development needs to be outlined in red and any other land owned by the applicant that is close to or adjoining the site needs to be outlined in blue.

What Should a Location Plan Include?

The location plan will typically include some or all the following:

• Roads and buildings on adjoining land
• Planning site boundaries
• Land where the proposed development is to be, marked in red
• Extra land owned by the developer that is adjacent to the site and marked in blue

Location Plan Scales

A location plan shows the proposed development in relation to its surrounding properties and must be based on an up-to-date map at an identified standard metric scale, typically 1:1250 or 1:2500. It will also need to be scaled to fit A4 sized document.

If you are unsure about the difference between a site plan and location plan, please contact your local authority for advice.

With so many things to consider when planning a development, from the construction materials to use, right down to the the types of fixings, getting the basics right in your location and site plans are the first steps to success.

How to Design a Site or Location Plan

ReQuestaPlan is designed to allow simple and intuitive creations of location and site plans that are submitted during the planning and building control process. With ReQuestaPlan, you can pay per map or alternatively you can apply for a profession account.