interesting
turns out you need planning permission, from your local council, to erect a flagpole. Flag poles at private residences are classified as "miscellaneous structures" and subject to planning regulations. Generally, a local council will have a local planning order for flagpoles which would require planning permission for a single pole in front of a house that fronts onto a highway or public (but it would probably be granted as long as it was not too high, and no one objected). Whereas a single pole that was behind the house would not require permission providing that it was not too high.
More than one pole would probably be considered excessive for any domestic property.
An example would be:
"A local planning order allows that you may, without planning permission, erect a flagpole within the curtilage of a dwelling, provided that the house is neither a registered building or within a Conservation Area, where on completion of the operations there would be no more than one flagpole within the curtilage and the height of the flagpole would not exceed 5m above ground level"
Planning permission would most certainly be required for a commercial property or public space especially if more than one is required (although not often refused).
In either case, you need to check with the planning officer at your Local Authority (or look at their Website)
However, once you have your flagpole, you might need permission for the flag!
Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, flags come within the definition of advertisement" and their display is controlled by the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992. However, under Schedule 2 of the Regulations, the
national flag of any country, and this includes the Union flag, is exempt from advertisement control provided each flag is flown from a single vertical flagpole and neither the flag nor the flagpole display any advertisement additional to the design of the flag.
so. anything that doesnt represent a country must be taken down unless theres planning permission under advertising rules.
dont flame me. just copying and pasting lol