Location Plans

1. Firstly search for your property using a postcode, grid reference or latitude / longitude.
2. Check the map preview shows the correct area. On our site, the property you've searched for should be near the middle of the preview. You can drag the map to centre it if required.
3. Next select the scale you want. A location plan is either 1:1250 or 1:2500 scale. The default scale used on buyaplan is 1:1250 so you won't need to change the scale unless your property is too big to fit on the map, for example farmland.
4. Now, add a red line to the boundary of you property if your office have asked for this. A blue line is also needed around any other property that appears on the map but where planning consent is not sought.
5. Finally select whether you want the plan in black and white or colour, either which are fine for planning applications.

1. An example of a location plan where there's one owned property appearing on the plan and it's where planning consent is sought. This is the typical scenario and only a red line is required to be put around the boundary of the property.
2. A sample of a location plan where there are two owned properties appearing on the plan, one where planning consent is sought. In this situation a red line should be added around the boundary of the property where planning consent is sought and a blue line around the other one.
3. An example of location plans are available in two different scales, 1:1250 scale and 1:2500 scale. The latter would only be appropriate for very large properties.
4. Examples of location plans in two typical formats, pdf which are typical for domestic planning applications and CAD formats which are typically used by professionals like architects.

• Overview: a location plan is used for planning applications drawn to a metric scale, which shows the property where planning permission is sought and surrounding areas. They are acceptable in black and white or colour.
• Scales used: 1:1250 or 1:2500
• Coverage: typically 2 hectares but can be 4 hectares and above
• Paper sizes: typically A4 but A3 sometimes used for large areas
• Formats: typically pdf but also available in CAD formats like dwg and dxf
• Mapping used: typically Ordnance Survey Mastermap®
• Suppliers: include buyaplan.co.uk and other OS partners

Location plan costs can vary depending on the scale chosen (1:1250 or the larger 1:2500 scale), the mapping chosen and the vendor. A location plan at 1:1250 scale typically costs between £7.99 and £20, and a 1:2500 scale location plan costs between £55 and £75.

Buyaplan offers a location plan at £7.99, with a 10% saving when buying 2 different scales.

The difference between a location and block plan is the scale. Location plans are either 1:1250 or 1:2500 scale, whilst a block plan is normally 1:200 or 1:500 scale. A location plan is intended to show the general locality of a property. A block plan shows a far smaller area, typically the property itself.

Both of these plans are usually supplied on A4 or A3, but are increasingly being used in digital format to be uploaded to planning application sites or emailed.

In the UK, the most common mapping used in location plans is supplied by the Ordnance Survey, however there are other mapping suppliers such as The GeoInformation Group.

So just what are a site plan, a location plan and a block plan?

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