Commencement Notice
A statutory building-control notice served before works begin — the clearest public signal a permission is going to site.
Under the Building Control Regulations, a commencement notice must be served on the local building control authority not more than 28 days and not less than 14 days before works (or a material change of use) begin. It is lodged through the national Building Control Management System (BCMS) and is a public record.
It is the strongest 'about to break ground' buying signal there is. By the time a commencement notice is filed the developer is committing money and lining up contractors and suppliers — so it's the earliest reliable moment to pitch, and it usually names the builder.
PlanningLeads ingests BCMS commencement notices and flags those leads as on-site / commencing, frequently with the builder named — the backbone of the timing intelligence feeds.
See it in live data
Common questions
Between 14 and 28 days before works begin — so it's a near-real-time signal that a site is about to start.
In almost all cases the works it covers need a valid permission (or to be exempted development). It marks the move from paperwork to site activity.
Yes — it's recorded on the Building Control Management System (BCMS) register.
This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Planning rules carry conditions and exceptions — always verify a specific case against the official source or a planning professional before acting.