Pre-application Advice

We provide advice to help you improve your planning application, increasing the chance of your application being granted planning permission.

IN THIS ARTICLE

  • What is pre-application advice
  • The different types of form
  • Supporting documents you need
  • How much it costs

We provide "Pre-application Advice" (also known as a "Preliminary Enquiry") where we will provide you with site specific advice.

With early feedback we can help you improve the quality of your planning application and increase the likelihood of your application receiving approval.

We encourage early dialogue on all applications and will not enter into extended negotiations once an application has been registered.

Flawed applications which conflict with our adopted policies will be refused. Once we have provided our written advice to a preliminary enquiry, if you need further guidance, you will need to make a further request via the website and make the relevant payment.

Types of Pre-Application Advice

 

Minor/ minor application:

This is an application for residential advice for:

  • A development relating to small-scale building projects such as:
    • Householder 
    • Change of use 
    • 1 – 9 dwellings
    • Listed building alterations/extensions
    • Other 

One of the most common is "Householder". For example this covers: 

  • House extensions
  • Garage conversions
  • Garden outbuildings
  • Erection of walls and fences to domestic properties

Pre application is also available for commercial/industrial advice for: 

  • Certain changes of use between some business types
  • A development less than 1,000m² floor space
  • A site less than 1 hectare on an outline application
  • Advertisements

Read more on the Planning Portal
 

Major / major application

This is residential advice for:

  • A development of 10 or more units, or
  • A site of 0.5 ha or more on an outline application

It is also commercial/industrial advice for:

  • A development of 1,000m² floor space or more, or
  • A site of 1 hectare or more on an outline application

Larger and quite complex planning applications would be handled through a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA). What's this?

Read more on the Planning Portal
 

Supporting documents you may need:

 

Depending on the type of application you intend to submit, there may be additional documents that are required.

Check supporting documents

How much it costs

Check what fee is applicable

You may also be liable to planning obligations such as Section 106 agreements. What's this?

How to apply

Apply for Pre-application Advice online

 

Prepare
Pre-application Advice