Charging for pre-application planning advice
This page contains information about charging for pre-application planning advice.
From 1 April 2012 revised charges for pre-application advice come into force.
From this date there will be a £50 charge for pre-application advice for householder planning applications. This charge will apply both to requests for written advice and also to requests for a pre-application advice meeting.
Local residents who want to extend or alter their property and need planning permission can get advice from the Council’s Planning Service. This aims to help make sure proposals comply with the Council’s policies and guidance and minimise the impact on neighbours.
Further information is given below.
Charges
For 2012/13, the fee scales for pre-application advice is as follows:
Householder pre-application advice
£50 for householder pre-application advice ( written and meetings)
Non householder pre-application advice
- Written requests £120
- Meetings for minor residential development (1 – 9 units) lasting up to one hour (including a written response following meeting) £220
- Meetings for major residential development (10 units and above) lasting up to one hour (including a written response following meeting) £250
- £500 for meetings lasting between one and three hours (including a written response following meeting)
- Meetings for commercial development will be charged on the basis of the relevant corresponding residential minor or major fee
Charges for meetings taking longer than three hours are a matter of negotiation
These arrangements (whether for a meeting or written response) apply only to officer-applicant/agent discussions conducted via meetings or exchange of correspondence prior to an application being submitted or post-decision meetings held to discuss an alternative scheme.
Charge exemptions
The following pre-application advice charge exemptions will apply:
- general planning advice at the planning duty desk
- general planning advice on the planning telephone help line
meetings with non-profit making organisations until a project is advanced to the point where professional agents are appointed.
Planning Officers will not be able to give free pre-application advice in any other way. Should you request pre-application advice that does not fall within these exempt categories, you will be advised to submit a written request for pre-application advice that is subject to a charge.
Pre-application advice
Requests for pre-application written advice and meetings should be made using the relevant form forwarded to planning.applications@reigate-banstead.gov.uk, or to the Town Hall, Castlefield Road, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 0SH.
If the request for advice is complete it will be allocated to a case officer who will respond in writing or, in the case of a meeting request, contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet . After the meeting a formal written response will be sent.
Meetings will be arranged for up to one, or between one and three hours, according to what has been agreed. Due to other work commitments, we regret that it will not be possible to extend the meeting beyond the agreed time, nor will it be possible to discuss development proposals other than the one for which the meeting has been arranged.
Before a pre-application advice meeting
To make pre-application meetings as productive as possible, applicants or their agents will be expected to provide sufficient information to describe the proposal, including:
- an analysis of the character of the area
- an assessment of the constraints and opportunities of the site
This information will be used as a means of ensuring that a design-led approach is taken in developing an appropriate scheme for the site.
After the meeting
Following the meeting, the officer you met will provide a written summary of the issues discussed and his or her advice on those issues.
If a subsequent decision does not follow the advice I received
Pre-application advice is given in good faith and will represent the relevant officer’s professional view. The advice given will be as accurate as possible, but it will be based only the information provided with the advice request, and presented at any meeting, and the officer’s personal judgement rather than necessarily that of the Authority. Please be aware that advice given at the pre-application stage does not guarantee any decision on a subsequent application.
If you disagree with the advice received
We cannot guarantee that you will like the advice you receive. In most cases, it is differences of opinion rather than factual errors that give rise to disagreement, and these can only be resolved through the formal planning process. However, if you feel that something has gone wrong, please explain to the officer involved, as he or she may be able to clarify the situation further.
If you are still dissatisfied with the service provided, it is open to you to make a complaint to the Development Quality Manager.
For further information on the complaints procedure, go to the complaints page or contact Customer Services on 01737 276000.
Last updated : 30/03/2012
