Full pre-application
This includes a site visit and all relevant consultees. A meeting with the case officer and consultees can be arranged for an additional fee.
For the majority of minor applications and some major applications, this form of pre-app will be sufficient and a full written response will be provided.
In some larger or more complex cases, initial feedback may be provided through a meeting or in writing. Generally these would relate to a major development of 10 or more houses or more than 1,000 sq.m floorspace and would be at the case officer’s discretion.
After this initial feedback, if you wish to get more advice on amendments to a scheme or wish to develop the scheme further, additional consultation and advice can be provided as part of the same pre-application enquiry. These will be subject to additional fees.
If this iterative approach is agreed by you and your case officer, the case will be kept open until either:
- you confirm you have received all the advice you require
- an application has been submitted in respect of the same development or site
- no further submissions have been received within 12 months of the initial feedback
Bespoke pre-application
In some cases you may wish to get specific advice about one element of the development. For example, if you have been refused a previous application and you wish to overcome a technical reason for refusal.
A bespoke pre-application process can be discussed with the case officer with agreed consultation responses and meetings.
Charges will normally be based on 10% of the standard full pre-application fee with all meetings charged at the standard rate per officer.
Advice will be provided on a ‘without prejudice’ basis to the consideration of other issues that may be impacted on. This form of pre-application is not considered appropriate at the initial enquiry stage.
Planning Performance Agreement
For major or strategic development sites, we can enter into a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA). This is a project management tool in which timescales, actions and resources for handling particular applications are agreed between the council and applicants.
The format and content of such agreements are a matter of negotiation. If this is of interest to you, please contact the planning service.
Other associated services
We also offer the following services:
- enquiries relating to change of use from a dwelling or change of use of land to garden
- non-householder enquiries to confirm use class, or what type of amendment is required to an application (for example, non-material or material amendment)
- letter of confirmation of compliance with an enforcement notice
- meetings about sites being promoted for development within the Local Plan
- other meetings with officers (charged in addition to the pre-application fee unless negotiated as part of a PPA)
- consideration of alternative versions of the same scheme when submitted concurrently as part of the full pre-application process
- requests for amendments to s106 Agreements