Guide to planning services

According to the National Planning Policy Framework, the pre-application process can significantly speed up planning applications, improving their quality and their likelihood of success.

Benefits of pre-application advice include:

• giving you an understanding of the local and national policies that will be relevant to your development
• finding out at an early stage, whether specialist advice is needed to further develop your proposal. This could include information relating to listed buildings, trees, landscape, noise, transport, contaminated land, drainage, ecology or archaeology
• in many cases the quicker determination of a formal application, as well as a higher likelihood that the application will be approved without the need for revisions
• highlighting the necessary requirements for a planning application which may reduce the risk of the application being invalidated when received
• finding out if a proposal is principally unacceptable which may save you the time and money that would be associated with developing a full planning application submission

What you'll receive

We aim to provide a timely service that is of most benefit to you and your future development. The level of service we can offer will depend on the level of information and the amount of detail you give us.

When relevant, we will give you written feedback within the specified timescales, following a meeting or site visit (if applicable). If this is not possible for any reason, we'll give you a clear timetable and explanation.

If the proposal merits a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) the timescales may be different, but this will be discussed with you on an individual basis.

The feedback you receive will provide the following:

• our views on your proposal, including feedback from specialist disciplines (where relevant)
• advice on how to improve the scheme, if necessary
• commentary on relevant policies
• guidance on the documents and statements necessary to validate your application

We understand that your proposal may evolve over time and we welcome ongoing involvement with your projects, but we will charge for additional meetings or feedback on revised proposals, unless negotiated through a PPA.

Important note

The feedback you receive will be the opinion of officers, based on their understanding of current law and policy. It will not bind the planning officers or committee to a particular decision and the weight given to the advice may decline over time as circumstances and policy may change.