The Council operates a confidential pre-application advice service for which it charges a fee that is commensurate to the scale and type of proposal.
There is no requirement for applicants to seek pre-application advice, but there are significant benefits to be gained from pre-application discussions with the Council. Encouragement of member liaison is always recommended to establish the views of the community and this can also be undertaken at the applicants request. It is emphasised however that Planning Committee Members must not be lobbied and pre-determination of Members sitting on Committee will not occur. Confidential pre-application advice will be sought from statutory consultees and other relevant parties.
The process includes:
- identifying any initial problems that may prevent a proposal from gaining planning permission, thus speeding up decision-making on your planning application by reducing the levels of negotiation and amendment;
- identifying proposals that are unlikely to be acceptable, saving the time and cost of a wasted application; and
- advice on the information likely to be required to accompany the application.
Our pre-application service offers clear, impartial and professional advice on a range of proposals from house extensions to major residential and commercial developments. Details of pre-application fees from April 2024 may be found in the Schedule of Pre-Application Advice Fees. Additional meetings will be charged based on covering the officer(s) time on an hourly rate.
For more advice on tree enquiries, please visit the tree enquiry webpage.
If your only query is whether you are likely to require planning permission for domestic development proposals (e.g. house extensions; satellite dishes) please visit our Do I Need Planning Permission page.
Last Updated on Thursday, February 23, 2023
Related Items