What needs planning permission

Please note that we do not provide written confirmation in response to general enquiries about the need for planning permission.  If you need formal written confirmation of the need for planning consent, you should submit an application for a Certificate of Lawfulness for a Proposed Use or Development. Guidance on what needs planning permission is available

Pre application advice

It is our policy to encourage and provide pre application advice. This paid for service offers significant benefits by providing greater certainty to the outcome of any application that may be submitted and speeding up the application process. We recommend that you seek formal pre application advice from us before you submit a planning application.

You may request one of the following options:

• written response
• meeting and written response

Submit a pre application form

More information is available in our pre-application guidance note

Please note that we no longer provide pre-application advice for householder developments and advertisements.  Please proceed straight to the application stage and submit your application through the ePlanning Portal. 

Fee changes are liable to change without consultation.

Exceptions to charges

Advice will be provided free of charge in the following cases:

• advice in respect of proposals which only require listed building consent or conservation area consent
• developments solely proposing disabled facilities or access
• 100% Affordable Housing Schemes
• proposals where the applicant/developer is a registered charity or a Community Council
• discussions with residents potentially affected by developments
• one meeting or written response following an refusal of an application, where revisions to that refused scheme within the same application site are proposed

Information to provide with your proposal

In order for advice to be effective it is essential that you provide enough information on your proposals and this may include:

• a scaled plan showing the site and identifying other land within the ownership or control of the applicant
• any relevant planning history that you are aware of, details of the existing use, a schedule of any existing floorspace and any other background information that is relevant to the proposal
• a topographical site survey or other information sufficient to understand existing and proposed site levels in relation to the surrounding area
• a description of the proposal, including a calculation of any new/additional floorspace if appropriate
• any necessary scaled plans, elevations, sections and photographs (which are particularly useful to understand the proposal and its context)
• in the case of more significant proposals, a draft Design and Access Statement