Planning pre-application advice: is it worth it?

Most local planning authorities offer a pre-application advice service: you submit an outline of your proposal and a planning officer gives a view on whether it is likely to be acceptable and what would need to change.

How it works

You submit drawings and a short description of the proposal, usually with a fee. Depending on the council and the size of the project, the officer may give written advice, meet you, or visit the site. Fees and response times vary between councils, so check your council’s website before you submit.

When it is worth it

• Projects in conservation areas or involving listed buildings
• Larger or unusual extensions, roof extensions and basements
• Change of use and new homes
• Schemes where the council’s policy is open to interpretation
• Commercial projects where planning affects the business case, such as extraction for a restaurant

For straightforward householder extensions that clearly follow the council’s design guidance, pre-application advice is often not necessary.

What it will and will not do

Pre-application advice is not binding on the council, and the final decision is made on the full application. But a positive response, and a design that has addressed the officer’s comments, generally gives an application a stronger start. It can also flag information the council will expect with the application, such as heritage or daylight assessments.

Making the most of it

Advice is only as good as the information submitted. Clear drawings, photographs of the site and a short design statement explaining the reasoning behind the proposal will get more useful feedback than a rough sketch.

How we can help

We prepare and submit pre-application requests, attend meetings with officers and develop the design in response before preparing the full planning application.