What is our Offer

Our pre-application advice service is available and encouraged if you are considering any type of development.

The service will provide feedback on your development proposals and can increase your chances of submitting a successful planning application. The advice we provide will guide you through the issues and policies relevant to your proposal. We offer a choice of responses to your enquiry dependant on your needs ranging from a written response, with or without a virtual meeting, alongside optional specialist advice. Our timescales for a pre-application response are commensurate with the type of proposed development and choice of advice requested.

The pre-application service can offer:

• Advice on whether planning permission is needed;

• Whether your planning application is likely to be approved;

• ‘In-principle’ policy advice;

• What information should be submitted as part of your planning application; and

• If we believe that your application will be refused, we will provide reasons for our opinion.

Our pre-application advice service also provides an option for advice from specialists, known as consultees, who will feedback on the proposal if this option is chosen.

We offer a variable fee structure based on the type of proposed development works and any optional consultees requested.

Please note that pre-application advice given is an informal opinion of professional Officers, based on the information provided and the policy context at the time.

Pre-application advice is recommended to ensure that:

• You reduce the risk of an invalid application;

• We identify additional advice you may need from another professional consultee;

• The uncertainty of a development or project is reduced;

• We identify any potential issues early in the process; and

• Your proposal complies with planning policy.

Follow-up Enquiries

Please note that following receipt of your pre-application response and review of our comments and recommendations, in the event that you would like additional advice prior to the submission of a formal planning application, you will need to submit a fresh pre-application enquiry alongside the relevant fee.

Unfortunately we are unable to engage in negotiations or comment on amended schemes during a single pre-application enquiry.