Do I need Planning Permission?

The Council encourage applicants to discuss their proposals with a Planning Officer before making their application. This will enable any serious shortcoming to be identified early and may save further time – and money!  However, views expressed by officers of the Council are given without prejudice to any decision that may be finally made by the Council.  

It can be very helpful to seek our advice about your planning proposals before submitting your actual application. This might involve meeting with us or just sending us your proposals for us to comment.  This can help to overcome potential difficulties and to make sure your application deals with all the important planning considerations. 

You may also find it helpful to obtain advice from an independent planning specialist when drawing up your scheme. People who regularly prepare planning applications have the experience and expertise that can help make sure your scheme has the best chance of being granted consent. Spending time and effort in preparing your scheme is more likely to result in a good quality and acceptable development and also help us process your application quickly. 

For small developments, we can usually offer pre-application advice free of charge. However, because of the time and resources involved, we will be introducing a charge for providing advice on major developments from 1 October 2007. Please click here for details about this scheme.