Do I need planning permission?

Our pre-application service is a scheme aimed at giving applicants, architects and developers clear advice about whether the Council would be likely to support a proposal.

It is important to note that this service is for the provision of advice - it is not an approval service and all advice is given without prejudice to any decision the Council may make on any subsequent application. 

Please read our Pre-application Policy for more information:

• Read our pre-application service guidance notes.

Publication of pre-applications

Following a pre-app enquiry, if a subsequent planning application is made on the site, the pre-app will usually be made available for public inspection. This will include any response made by the Council.

Pre-application consultation for renewable energy applications

If you are applying to develop 2 or more wind turbines and/or any turbine with a hub height in excess of 15 metres, there are different requirements.

The Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure and Section 62A Applications) (England) (Amendment) Order 2013 ("2013 Order") came into force on 17 December 2013.

The requirements introduced by the 2013 Order are set out under Section 61W of the 1990 Act. 

Why is pre-application advice useful?

Open and constructive pre-application discussions are an opportunity for the Council and applicants to work together. This helps to achieve developments that deliver benefits to the individual, community, environment and the economy.

It can also save time and costs, as well as optimise the potential of a site.

Benefits of pre-application enquiries and discussions include:

• Saving time and resources;
• Raising the quality of development;
• Speeding up the validation process;
• Gaining community acceptance through engagement;
• Reducing the number of unsuccessful planning applications;
• Identifying the need for specialist input earlier;
• Provide sufficient information to support final application

Should I speak to the local community about my proposals?

Yes. We recommend that applicants and developers should engage with the local community before submitting their applications. Please see Section 7 of our Pre-application Policy for further details.

How to apply

All requests must be submitted to us using following link:

Apply Now

The following information will be required when submitting your pre-application enquiry. This ensures that you give us all the information we need.

• The relevant Pre-application fee - Please note, in order to complete your pre application enquiry and submit it through to the planning team you will be required to make a payment. During the application process you will be given the option to either pay now or allow payment to be made by another party within 5 days. If no payment is made, your application will not have been submitted to the Planning Team.
• A site location plan, clearly identifying the site in question
• A sketch plan showing the proposed development work
• Photographs of the site if they would help to put the development in context
• A summary of any community consultation that has been carried out

Depending on the complexity of the proposal, you may need to provide additional details. However, the more information you can give us initially, the more detailed and comprehensive the response from officers can be.