Planning Permission

Guidance for Prospective Applicants Introduction

It is the Council's policy to provide pre-application planning advice in recognition of the potential benefits which include helping a better mutual understanding of objectives and the constraints that may exist.   However, the cost of providing this service is not covered by fees for planning applications and is otherwise met by Council Tax payers. 

The Council Executive has therefore taken the decision to recover these costs by introducing fees in accordance with the table below for pre-application advice, this will take effect 1st April 2011.

Prospective applicants for planning permission should consider carefully what advice to seek at pre-application stage as a subsequent application may be refused if relevant matters have not been addressed in the application.

Please submit requests for pre-application advice to:

Development Control Section
Harborough District Council
Adam & Eve Street
Market Harborough
Leicestershire LE16 7AG
 
or email planning@harborough.gov.uk

The scale of fees is based on the scale of proposals and the level of response required by the proposer.  Officers' ability to respond to requests for pre-application advice will depend to some extent on the level of information provided by the developer.  This varies between submitting a site plan with a request for in-principle advice as to whether development of a particular kind would be acceptable to schemes which have been worked up to a reasonable level of detail.

The Council's response could comprise:

• an indication of whether the proposal is likely to be acceptable in policy terms;
• flagging up any amenity or design constraints;
• identifying other possible constraints, e.g. environmental, flood plain, highways;
• identifying what consultations may need to take place;
• identifying matters possibly to be covered by section 106  planning  obligations;
• validation requirements (by reference to Validation Checklist).

Within 10 working days of a request for a meeting, a mutually agreeable date will be arranged.  Following a meeting, a written response will be provided within 10 working days unless otherwise agreed by the pre-applicant. 

Checklist of information to include with your pre-application advice request.

• Address of site
• Description of proposed development.  (Please include a location and site plan.
• Name and address, telephone and e-mail address of agent/person dealing with this enquiry. 
• Type of formal application proposed, e.g. Full, Outline, Listed Building, approval of reserved matters, details required by a planning condition, etc. 
• Do you require a meeting to receive pre-application advice? 
• Details and dates of any previous applications or pre-application discussions. 
• List of documents and plans submitted with this request.  You should, if possible, include a statement justifying your proposals with reference to national and local planning policy and guidance, site layout, elevations, details of existing landscape features including trees, etc. 
• Details of any consultation you have carried out or propose to carry out with statutory and non-statutory consultees and community organisations at pre-application stage: 
• Fee submitted (state amount) 
   

"Without Prejudice" Advice

Whilst the Council's officers will endeavour to ensure that any pre-application advice is robust, please note that any advice given is on a "without prejudice" basis and cannot pre-empt consideration of a formal application.   Also, the Council may change its views on the merits of a proposal if there is a change in circumstances after pre-application advice has been given, such as a change in Government policy, case law or a previously unidentified matter comes to light during subsequent consideration.

Validation

Local Area Requirements Checklist Legislation has been introduced concerning certain basic documents and information which must accompany an application for planning permission before it can be validated and thereafter processed.  The Council has accordingly published Local Area Requirements validation checklist, available on the Council's website, which indicates the information required for an application to be validated.  You are strongly advised to refer to the list so that you can make yourself aware of other information requirements which are necessary for the Council to be able to deal with various aspects of your application.  The Council are required to make decisions on validated applications within timescales set by Government and you risk refusal if all the information which the Council requires has not been submitted at the outset.  In responding to requests for pre-application advice, the Council will draw attention to items from the list which will be needed for full consideration and determination of the application.

Scale of Charges

The scale of charges for pre-application advice for meetings and written advice is set out below

Meetings

Following the receipt of the required documentation (including fee), within 10 working days a meeting will be arranged. The fee for a meeting includes any preparation in advance and written confirmation of the advice given at the meeting.  This will be provided within 10 working days of the meeting.  

Proposal	Residential	Commercial	Fee per meeting (incl.VAT)
Strategic Proposal	50 dwellings or more	10,000 sq.m. floorspace	£360.00
Major Proposal	10 to 49 dwellings	1,000 to 10,000 sq.m floor space	£300.00
Minor Proposal	4 to 9 dwellings	Under 1,000 sq.m floor space and greater than 300sq.m	£180.00

Written Advice without a meeting

Where a meeting is not required, the following charges will apply to written advice.  This written confirmation should be provided within 10 working days of receipt of required documentation including fee. The definitions of strategic, major and minor are as set out above.

Fees (incl.VAT)

•  Strategic Proposal - £240.00
•  Major Proposal - £180.00
•  Minor Proposal - £120.00

No planning advice fee is required for small commercial proposals (<300 sq.m), less than 4 dwellings, solely affordable housing proposals, local community organisations, Parish, District and County Councils and householder proposals.