Pre-application Planning Advice

Aerial view of Bracknell and surrounding countryside We are able to provide you with advice and information if you are considering submitting a development proposal or if you are a householder wanting to know if works to your home will need planning permission. We welcome and encourage discussions before you submit your application. We acknowledge the advantages of providing good quality advice to anyone carrying out development prior to the formal submission of a planning application in order to help speed up the development process and avoid unacceptable proposals.

top

Why make a pre-application enquiry?
Open and constructive pre-application discussions are an opportunity for local authorities and developers to work together to achieve developments that deliver benefits to the community and the economy. This can save time, costs and frustration and optimise the potential of a site. For these reasons Bracknell Forest Borough Council encourages discussion on proposals before a planning application is formally submitted.

What we expect of you (householder enquiry)
Before contacting the Council’s development control service with your draft development proposals we ask you firstly to:

Prepare draft design principles for the site based on the findings of the site survey work.
Approach your neighbours regarding your proposed development. All too often the failure to engage with neighbours early on in the process leads to objections that could have been avoided.

top

What we expect of you (non-householder)
Before contacting the Council’s development control service with your draft development proposals we ask you first to:

Investigate the planning history of the site fully. Does this tell you anything that may be relevant to your proposals?
Check the Development Plan designation of the site and any policies relevant to your proposals.
Familiarise yourself with the development control and highway standards adopted by the Council.
Visit the site and make a detailed analysis to establish site characteristics, constraints/opportunities and the surroundings. Accurate site survey plans and tree condition surveys (where applicable) will be required if a planning application is eventually to be submitted, these survey plans are likely to be useful in the process of designing a scheme too.
Prepare draft design principles for the site based on the findings of the site survey work.

top

I am a householder, how do I go about obtaining advice?
The approach to the Council should be made using the householder pre-application enquiry form and should be accompanied by the following basic level of information to ensure that proper advice can be given.

Location plan (1:1250), with the property outlined in red.
A payment of £25 (certain exemptions apply, see below)
Plans sufficient to identify what is proposed (if to establish whether permission is required these must be metrically dimensioned)

You may also wish to include additional information such as:

Photographs of the site.
Any letters of support from neighbours

Your completed form and supporting documentation should be sent to us at the address given on the form. Please note that we reserve the right to reject requests for pre-application advice where a prospective applicant has ignored advice previously given on the same site.

This service can be used both to obtain advice on proposed alterations/extensions and to establish whether planning permission is required for changes to your home. Examples where this service could apply are:

Erection of an extension (including a conservatory)
Erection of a garage or outbuilding
Private garden extension
A new or altered access
Dormer windows/roof alterations
Erection of a wall or fence
Installation of a satellite dish
Establishing whether any restrictive condition applying to the property necessitates submission of a planning application

top

How do I obtain pre-application advice in all other cases? (non-householder)
Once you have gone through the above site analysis you should be in a much better position to begin designing your scheme. You may then wish to approach the Council to seek advice.

Your initial approach to the Council should be done using the non-householder pre-application advice form. This form should be accompanied by the information set out in the form to ensure that informed advice can be given.

top

What does it cost for me to obtain advice?
Requests for pre-application advice should normally be accompanied by the initial fee. In the case of a householder enquiry, a flat rate fee of £25* is payable at the time of enquiry as a contribution towards Council costs.

Exemptions from a fee apply in the following cases

Where the works are required to meet the needs of a person's disability
The proposal only relates to works requiring listed building/conservation area consents.
Following refusal of an application which has been submitted in line with advice given on an earlier pre-application enquiry.

In all other cases the fee submitted should be in accordance with the following schedule:

The following charges currently apply.*


Residential Development	Initial fee (per site)
	1-5 homes - £250
	6-10 homes - £350
	11-50 homes - £550
	50 + homes - £1250
	Plus Officer recharge rate at £80 per officer in attendance at a meeting
	Traffic model - at cost
Commercial Property Development (including change of use)	Initial fee (per site)
	1-1,000 sq m - £350
	1001-10,000 sq m - £550
	over 10,000 sq m (1Ha)- £1250
	Plus Officer recharge rate at £80 per officer in attendance at a meeting
	Traffic model - at cost

If the planning officer considers a meeting is required in order to progress matters you will be advised in writing and requested to submit the appropriate payment prior to the meeting. This is a flat rate fee which will be based on the number of officers attending not the length of the time the meeting takes.

*Fees are reviewed annually and any changes take effect on 1 April.

top

What happens to my enquiry?

Householder Enquiries: Once the request for pre-application advice is received we should dispatch within 5 working days an acknowledgement (either by email or post) stating the name of the planning officer who will handle your enquiry. All communication from you to the Council should be via this officer. If on this initial assessment we consider the pre-application process is not the most appropriate course to follow, we will tell you what alternatives are available. Should further information or a meeting be required the case officer will endeavour to let you know within 15 working days of the enquiry being received.

Pre-application Planning Advice (non-householder): Once the request for pre-application advice is received we acknowledge receipt within 5 working days (either by email or post) stating the name of the planning officer who will lead on the enquiry. All communication from you to the Council should be via this officer. However, if on this initial assessment we consider the pre-application process is not the most appropriate course to follow, we will tell you what alternatives are available.

Following consideration of the information received the case officer will decide whether to bring together a team of Council officers from different disciplines. A Development Team approach avoids the need for you to contact different parts of the Council separately, thus saving you time and giving consistency. Following the assessment, the case officer may advise you that further information is required, such as financial appraisals, travel plans, transport assessments, and possibly environmental assessments. Where a scheme may be subject to environmental assessment then early discussions should focus on issues relating to the screening and scoping of the proposal. You will also be advised as to whether meetings with the case officer or development team will be helpful in order to progress matters. Should further information or a meeting be required the case officer will endeavour to let you know within 20 working days of the enquiry being received. At this stage you will be advised which Council officers it is considered appropriate to bring into the development team.

top

What do I need to do before a meeting?
To make pre-application meetings as productive as possible, applicants or their agents will be expected to provide sufficient information to describe the proposal at least five working days prior to the meeting, including:

An analysis of the character of the area
An assessment of the constraints and opportunities of the site

This information will be used as a means of ensuring that a design-led approach is taken in developing an appropriate scheme for the site.

What happens after the meeting?
Following the meeting, the case officer you met will provide a written summary of the issues discussed, and his or her advice on those issues.

top

What advice can I expect to receive?
Once the information has been assessed and any negotiations concluded the case officer will provide you with constructive and relevant written comments and advice to help you on the way to the submission of a planning application.

Pre-application advice is given in good faith and will represent the case officer’s professional view. The advice given will be as accurate as possible, but it will be based only on the information available at the time of the enquiry, and the case officer’s personal judgement. Therefore, positive feedback in pre-application discussions does not automatically mean that an application will be granted permission.

The advice given will depend on the complexity and nature of the proposed development but could include:

Relevant Planning Policies: an assessment as to whether the proposal complies with local, regional and national policies.
Constraints: for example, Conservation Area, Green Belt, Special Protection Area etc.
Land Use: acceptability of proposed uses.
Residential Development: acceptability of mix of units, affordable housing requirement.
Design: comments on built form, scale, massing, views, street scene, historic context etc.
Amenity: which properties may be affected and how, what further assessment is required in terms of daylight/sunlight studies, noise studies, tree surveys and landscape assessment.
Transport and Highways: advice and comment on servicing, access, parking standards, cycle parking, disabled parking, requirements for a transport statements/assessments and Section 38/278 matters (Highways Act 1980).
Community Engagement: who to contact eg, local councils, community groups.
Financial Contributions: possible heads of terms or planning obligations that may be required together with an indication of likely contribution levels.

top

How long will it take to get advice?
Within five working days your enquiry should be acknowledged and we will advise you if it is not suitable for this process.

Within 25 working days you should be advised if a meeting and/or further information is required.

If no further information or meeting(s) are required then you should receive a written response within 30 working days.

In the case of more complex proposals it is impossible to give a guarantee as to when the process will be concluded as ongoing negotiations may be required. However the Council will arrange meetings within 15 working days of any additional information being received and will provide an agenda of the issues for that meeting to explore at least two days before that meeting.

What if I disagree with the advice received?
We cannot guarantee that you will like the advice you receive. In most cases, it is differences of opinion rather than factual errors that give rise to disagreement, and these can only be resolved through the formal planning process. However, if you feel that something has gone wrong, please explain to the officer involved, as he or she may be able to clarify the situation further.

Where an applicant fails to incorporate advice given at the pre-application stage into a formal planning proposal it is likely the application will be refused without any further negotiation.

If you are still dissatisfied with the service provided, it is open to you to make a formal complaint. For further information on the complaints procedure, go to our Comments, Compliments and Complaints page or contact Customer Services on 01344 352000.

What if I choose not to engage in the pre-application process?
If an application is submitted which requires significant change and no pre-application advice has not been sought it is unlikely that an applicant will be invited to discuss the proposal and a refusal of planning permission may well result.

What do I do if my planning application has been refused?

Your refusal notice contains details of how to lodge an appeal.

However before proceeding to appeal you are advised to seek a meeting with a planning officer to discuss the reasons for refusal. Following such a meeting you may wish to prepare a revised proposal and enter into pre-Application discussions with the Council. Normally pre-application a fee will be required but certain instances exemptions apply, see the section above on how much it will cost. A meeting following refusal of a planning application to discuss the grounds for that decision will not attract a fee.