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Planning - Pre Application Advice

From early 2008, the Local Planning Authority will be offering more formal pre-application advice which will be available to all applicants and agents. This will provide planning advice regarding the acceptability of proposed development, the issues to be resolved, financial contributions and the likelihood of receiving Planning Officer support. A fee will be chargeable for this service.

If you are considering a development proposal, the Local Planning Authority welcomes and encourages discussion prior to submitting a formal application which can be of great benefit to an applicant by avoiding abortive work, providing greater certainty and speeding up the statutory process.

The benefits of Pre-Application Advice include: -

• An opportunity to understand how the Borough’s policies will affect the proposed development.
• Identifies whether there will be a requirement for specialist input in relation to listed buildings, conservation areas, trees, landscape, noise, contaminated land, other regulatory requirements and material considerations.
• Provides an opportunity to help ensure a more efficient and effective passage through the development control process.
• Will identify where negotiations are required and how they might be addressed.
• Will lead to a reduction in time and money spent on development proposals.
• Will provide greater certainty to applicants.
  

When submitting a proposal to the Local Planning Authority for pre-application advice, you are reminded that the more information you provide, the more accurate and efficient the advice we can give.

The minimum information required to enable the Local Planning Authority to give pre-application advice is as follows: -

• Location plan outlining the proposed site using relevant scale
• The correct fee / Signed form (mandatory).
• Description of the proposed development including approximate additional units (where applicable)
• Sketch plans, layout, elevations, etc.

Upon receipt of a valid pre-application request an acknowledgement will be sent out indicating the allocated Planning Officer together with a receipt for your payment. If there is inadequate detail to consider the enquiry, it will be returned within 10 working days requesting further information.

The Local Planning Authority will aim to consider your proposal, visit the site, consult with internal colleagues and respond in writing to you within 28 days of receipt of your request. Any additional services such as meetings or further site visits should be arranged with the allocated Planning Officer. After the initial payment (needed to register the request) charges for any further meetings or site visits will be chargeable and billed by Financial Services, on behalf of the Local Planning Authority.
 

The written response by the Planning Officer will include:

• A detailed but “without prejudice” informal opinion on the proposal together with the responses from any internal consultations carried out and suggestions on how the application could be improved.
• The necessity or otherwise for a Unilateral Undertaking to accompany an application (unless a S106 Agreement is preferred by the applicant), the Heads of Terms, and as far as possible the precise amount of any financial contributions required. It will be expected that any such agreement will be lodged, in draft, at the same time as the application is submitted.

If an application is submitted without first seeking any pre-application discussions, and there are difficulties that are unlikely to be capable of resolution within the statutory time period, negotiations will not normally be entered into. The result is likely to be an early refusal. Under these circumstances we will advise the applicant or agent by telephone or by email and offer the opportunity to withdraw the application. Following the refusal or withdrawal of an application, applicants have the opportunity to seek advice prior to re-submitting a further application (standard scale of charges apply).

If an application needs to be amended in the light of unforeseen new information or significant third party representations arise during the consideration of an application, the Council will decide whether to negotiate or to determine the application as originally submitted.

There will be reference to website links to the relevant documentation and policies which can be found on the internet at www.boroughofpoole.com

 Scale of Fees

 * Indicates that outline enquiry for Category C will be subject to a minimum fee of £335

Example: A pre-application request for 20 flats requiring 1 meeting lasting an hour with the Planning Officer & Arboricultural Officer.

Initial request 10% of £6700 (application fee) = £670