Pre-application advice
We offer an advice service to anyone who is thinking about submitting a planning application.
The pre-application advice service is solely for proposals that require planning permission.
It does not deal with the question of whether planning permission is required – for this see find out if you need planning permission
Pre-application advice can help speed up the planning process as any potential problems can be highlighted before you submit an application. These are confidential and will not appear online.
There may be a fee for this service.
Fees
Fees - including 20% VAT
| Development type | Written response | Meeting following written response |
|---|---|---|
|
Householder development within the curtilage of a dwelling house (not new residential units within the curtilage) |
£60 |
£40 |
|
Alterations to a dwelling that is a Listed Building or development in the curtilage. (Not new residential units in the curtilage) |
£70 |
£40 (£60 if Conservation Officer is to attend) |
|
Minor residential development – 1 to 2 residential units |
£300 |
£40 (£60 if Conservation Officer is to attend) |
|
Minor residential development – 3 to 9 residential units or residential development on sites less than 0.5 hectare |
£720 |
£100 (£130 if Conservation Officer is to attend) |
|
Small scale major development – small residential 10 to 99 residential units or site area between 0.5 hectares and less than 2 hectares |
£1500 |
£100 (£130 if Conservation Officer is to attend) |
|
Small scale major development – large residential 100 to 199 residential units or site area between 2 hectares and less than 4 hectares |
£3000 |
£100 (£130 if Conservation Officer is to attend) |
|
Large-scale major development – residential 200 residential units and over or site area greater than 4 hectares |
Minimum charge of £3600 plus £360 for every 50 dwellings up to a maximum of £8000 |
£100 (£130 if Conservation Officer is to attend) |
|
Shop fronts |
£40 (£60 if shop is part of a Listed Building) |
£0 |
|
Food retailing schemes under 500 sqm (new build or change of use) |
£200 |
£100 |
|
Food retail schemes between 500 and 9999 sqm Floor space between 500 and 9,999 sqm or site area is between 1 hectare and less than 2 hectares |
£960 |
£200 |
|
Food retail schemes greater than 10,000 sqm Floor space greater than 10,000 sqm or site area greater than 2 hectares |
Minimum charge of £3000 plus £400 for every 1000 sqm to a maximum of £4800 |
included |
|
Commercial floorspace up to 999sqm (including change of use and use of land for solar farms etc) |
£400 |
£100 (£130 if Conservation Officer is to attend) |
|
Commercial floorspace up to 1000sqm – 4,999sqm (including change of use and use of land for solar farms etc) |
£720 |
£100 (£130 if Conservation Officer is to attend) |
|
Commercial floorspace up to 5000sqm – 9,999sqm (including change of use and use of land for solar farms etc) |
£960 |
£100 (£130 if Conservation Officer is to attend) |
|
Alterations to commercial buildings that do not result in new floor space e.g. addition of flues, micro-generation equipment, security fencing etc |
£100 |
£100 (£130 if Conservation Officer is to attend) |
- a fee is payable for each proposal, so if you require advice on more than one scenario a fee is payable for each one
- where a change of use is involved it will be charged on the basis of either the number of residential units created or the amount of floor space involved if it is commercial and/or retail
- in cases where your proposal falls within more than one category, the higher fee will apply
- if your proposal does not fall within any of the categories you will need to contact us for a bespoke fee
- the fee for the meeting is based on an electronic meeting ( via Microsoft Teams or Zoom). If we agree to an on-site or in person meeting there will be an additional charge of 20%
- if you request staff from other departments to attend the meeting ,this may be possible but it will be subject to an additional fee that will need to be agreed
- we reserve the right to waive charges at our discretion
Exemptions
There are no charges for:
- charitable organisations
- local parish and town councils
- the carrying out of works solely to provide access for disabled persons into/within a building to which members of the public are admitted
Apply for pre-application advice
-
Complete the form below. You should include drawings of the proposal and provide as much information as possible. The more detail provided, the more specific the advice will be. Once the form is submitted you’ll be given your application reference which will begin with OWPRE.
-
Pay the correct fee using the button below.
What happens next
On receipt of both your enquiry and the correct fee we aim to provide a written response within 40 working days. This is not guaranteed so please apply for pre-application advice as far in advance as possible.
For further information see our detailed guidance notes.
Contact
For help with making a pre-application enquiry please contact the Technical Support Unit on 01903 737711.
Disclaimer
Please note that the advice given cannot provide any guarantees that any subsequently submitted application, or any application amended in line with advice, will be granted.
Disclosure
If we receive a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) or Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) to disclose information relating to pre-application enquiries we are obliged to do so unless the information is deemed exempt under the Act.
We can only withhold information under FOI or EIR if the information falls under one of the exemptions (FOI) or exceptions (EIR) set out in legislation.
If you consider that your advice request is confidential you should first seek legal advice. You must inform us of any legal advice you have received at the time of submitting the pre-application advice application where confidentiality is an issue. However, whilst we’ll take account of this information, the final decision on whether the information should be withheld rests with us.