Planning Application Types

All applications are assigned a unique reference number, for example 25/01234/HOUSE. The first two numbers show the year the application was received, followed by a unique number, followed by a suffix denoting the application type. The table below details the suffixes for each application type.

Applications for planning permission
Suffix	Application type
FUL	Application for full planning permission for non-major development. Consultation shall take place and the Council will aim to issue a decision within eight weeks.
FULMAJ	Application for full planning permission for major development. Consultation shall take place and the Council will aim to issue a decision within 13 weeks.
HOUSE	Application for planning permission for householder development, including extensions and ancillary development within the curtilage. Consultation shall take place and the Council will aim to issue a decision within eight weeks.
MINE	Application for full planning permission for non-major minerals and waste development. Consultation shall take place and the Council will aim to issue a decision within eight weeks.
MINMAJ	Application for full planning permission for major minerals and waste development. Consultation shall take place and the Council will aim to issue a decision within 13 weeks.
OUT	Application for outline planning permission for non-major development. Consultation shall take place and the Council will aim to issue a decision within eight weeks.
OUTMAJ	Application for outline planning permission for major development. Consultation shall take place and the Council will aim to issue a decision within 13 weeks.
PIP	Permission in Principle - An alternative consent route for obtaining planning permission for housing-led development which separates the consideration of matters of principle for proposed development from the technical detail of the development. This is the first stage which establishes whether a site is suitable in-principle.
REG3	Planning application under Regulation 3 of the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992, which allows a local planning authority to grant itself planning permission for development on land in which it has an interest.
REG4	Planning application under Regulation 4 of the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992, which refers to a specific scenario under The Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992 in Wales (or similar legislation elsewhere) where an application for planning permission is made by an interested planning authority for land they have an interest in, but do not intend to develop themselves. Instead of determining the application themselves, the authority that holds the land can apply for permission from a different body or, in some cases, the application is determined by the Secretary of State.
REM	Application for reserved matters approval for non-major development. Consultation shall take place and the Council will aim to issue a decision within eight weeks.
RESMAJ	Application for reserved matters approval for major development. Consultation shall take place and the Council will aim to issue a decision within 13 weeks.
TDC	Technical Details Consent for Permission in Principle - An alternative consent route for obtaining planning permission for housing-led development which separates the consideration of matters of principle for proposed development from the technical detail of the development. This is the second ('technical details consent') stage when the detailed development proposals are assessed.
TDCMAJ	Technical Details Consent for Permission in Principle - An alternative consent route for obtaining planning permission for housing-led development which separates the consideration of matters of principle for proposed development from the technical detail of the development. This is the second ('technical details consent') stage when the detailed development proposals are assessed.

Follow-up consents related to planning permissions
Suffix	Application type
COND	Discharge of conditions - Planning permission is normally granted subject to conditions, and sometimes these conditions require further supplementary information to be submitted on detailed elements of the proposal. For example, the precise materials to be used. Requests for approval of further details required by conditions must be made to the local planning authority in writing, enclosing any relevant details. There are no statutory consultation requirements, but the Council will normally consult with technical experts relevant to the condition in question. The Council will normally make a decision within eight weeks. This process can also be used to confirm whether a condition has been discharged or complied with.
NONMAT	Application for a non-material amendment to a planning permission. The Council will normally issue a decision within four weeks, and consultation is not normally required.
MDOPO	Application to modify or discharge a planning obligation under Section 106A of the Act. This is a formal application process with a right of appeal. This process is available where the planning obligation is five or more years old.
MDOPO2	Request to amend/discharge a planning obligation. The MDOPO process is not available where a planning obligation is less than five years old, but it is still possible for a request to be made to modify or discharge a planning obligation outside of the formal application process and without a right of appeal.

Applications for prior approval

Prior approval is required for some change of use permitted development rights. Certain other types of permitted development including the erection of new agricultural buildings, demolition and the installation of telecommunications equipment also require prior approval in some circumstances. Prior approval means that a developer has to seek approval from the local planning authority that specified elements of the development are acceptable before work can proceed. The matters for prior approval vary depending on the type of development and these are set out in full in the relevant Parts in Schedule 2 to the General Permitted Development Order. A local planning authority cannot consider any other matters when determining a prior approval application.

Suffix	Application type
AGRIC	Notification to determine whether prior approval is required for agricultural or forestry development. The Council will decide within 28 days whether prior approval is required, and consultation will not take place at this stage.
AGRIC2	Prior approval for agricultural or forestry development, where it has been determined that this is necessary (AGRIC). The applicant must display a site notice on or near the site at the start of this process. The Council will normally make a decision within eight weeks.
PACOU	Prior approval for the change of use of buildings or land. The existing and proposed use will be set out in the description of each application. The Council can only consider specific matters as set out in the relevant class of Part 3 of the General Permitted Development Order. Consultation shall take place with those consultees that are relevant to the matters under consideration, and the Council will aim to issue a decision within eight weeks.
PASOL	Prior approval for solar panels.
PASSHE	Larger single storey extensions The neighbour consultation scheme is a form of prior approval which only applies to larger single storey rear extensions to houses built under permitted development rights. A householder wishing to build such an extension will need to notify the local planning authority, who will then consult the adjoining neighbours in relation to the potential impact on amenity. If adjoining neighbours raise any objections, the local planning authority will make a decision on whether the impact on the amenity of adjoining properties is acceptable and hence whether the work can proceed.
TELE28	Notification for telecommunication development being undertaken using permitted development rights. These do not normally require a decision from the Council.
TELE56	Prior approval for telecommunications development being undertaken using permitted development rights. The Council normally makes a decision within eight weeks and can only consider the siting and appearance of the development.
CLASSR	Notification under Schedule 2, Part 3, Class R of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 for the change of use of a agricultural buildings not exceeding 150 square metres to a flexible use falling within one of the following: Class B2 (general industrial), B8 (storage and distribution), C1 (hotels), E (commercial, business or service), F.2(c) (outdoor sport or recreation, or the provision of agricultural training. Note: such changes of use exceeding 150 square metres are subject to prior approval (PACOU).
DEMO	Prior approval for demolition. The Council will normally make a decision within 28 days, and can only consider the method of demolition and any proposed restoration of the site. The applicant is responsible to displaying a site notice for 21 days prior to making the application.
ELEC6	Notification under Overhead Lines (Exemption) (England and Wales) Regulations 2009 (Electricity Act 1989).
ELEC8	Consultation for consent under section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989.
PAD	Other prior approval applications which will normally be decided within four weeks.
PAD56	Other prior approval applications which will normally be decided within eight weeks.
PDNOT	Notifications from persons/organisations exercising permitted development rights. There is a requirement for certain organisations and statutory undertakers to give notice to the Council before carrying out works under permitted development. These do not normally require a decision from the Council.

Other applications
Suffix	Application type
ADV	Advertisement consent - Consultation shall take place and the Council will aim to issue a decision within eight weeks. The Council can only consider public safety and amenity.
SCREEN	Request for a Screening Opinion under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations. The Council will normally issue a screening opinion within three weeks, and consultation is not normally required.
SCOPE	Request for a Scoping Opinion under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations. The Council must consult the consultation bodies and the applicant before providing a scoping opinion (regulation 15(4)). It must provide its opinion within five weeks (or longer if agreed in writing with applicant) of receiving a request.
CERTP	Application for a lawful development certificate to determine whether a proposed use of buildings or other land, or some operations proposed to be carried out in, on, over or under land, would be lawful for planning purposes under section 192 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. If the Council is satisfied that the appropriate legal tests have been met, it will grant a lawful development certificate. This process does not consider the planning merits of a proposal, and there is no consultation. A decision will normally be issued within eight weeks.
CERTE	Application for a lawful development certificate to determine whether an existing use of land, or some operational development, or some activity being carried out in breach of a planning condition, is lawful for planning purposes under section 191 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. If the Council is satisfied that the appropriate legal tests have been met, it will grant a lawful development certificate. This process does not consider the planning merits of a proposal. The Council may decide to carry out consultation where it could inform the decision (for example, by verifying facts purported in the application). A decision will normally be issued within eight weeks.
CERTLB	Application for a lawful development certificate for works to a listed building. If the Council is satisfied that the appropriate legal tests have been met, it will grant a lawful development certificate. This process does not consider the conservation merits of a proposal, and there is no consultation.
OOD	Out of district consultation - These are where another local planning authority has consulted the Council on a planning matter. The Council is a consultee, not the decision maker, and will aim to respond to the relevant planning authority within the given timescale.
LBC	Application for listed building consent (LBC). Consent is required for any alteration of extension of a listed building that affects its character or appearance as a building of special architectural or historic interest. This may include very minor alterations. When the Council considers whether to grant or to refuse an application, it must give particular attention to the desirability of preserving the building, its setting and those features which make it special. The consent only relates to the heritage significance of the listed building, other normal planning considerations are not relevant. Consultation will take place and the Council will normally issue a decision within eight weeks.
LDOCON	Conditions discharge application for any development permitted by a Local Development Order (LDO). West Berkshire currently has one LDO: Greenham Business Park Local Development Order.

Glossary
Major development	Development involving any one or more of the following: (a) the winning and working of minerals or the use of land for mineral-working deposits; (b) waste development; (c) the provision of dwellinghouses where: i. the number of dwellinghouses to be provided is 10 or more; or ii. the development is to be carried out on a site having an area of 0.5 hectares or more and it is not known whether the development falls within sub-paragraph (c)(i); (d) the provision of a building or buildings where the floor space to be created by the development is 1,000 square metres or more; or (e) development carried out on a site having an area of 1 hectare or more.
Full planning application	An application for full planning permission results in a decision on the detailed proposals of how a site can be developed. If planning permission is granted, and subject to compliance with any planning conditions that are imposed, no further engagement with the local planning authority is required to proceed with the development granted permission, although other consents may be required.
Outline planning application	An outline application is a preliminary step to a planning permission that confirms the principle of a proposed development (including its overall scale and nature) and includes an assessment of fundamental aspects of the proposal. It allows applicants to gain consent in principle for their development, deferring specific details known as 'reserved matters' to a later, separate application.
Reserved matters	Reserved matters follow the grant of outline planning permission and relate to details of: 'Access' - the accessibility to and within the site, for vehicles, cycles and pedestrians in terms of the positioning and treatment of access and circulation routes and how these fit into the surrounding access network. 'Appearance' - the aspects of a building or place within the development which determine the visual impression the building or place makes, including the external built form of the development, its architecture, materials, decoration, lighting, colour and texture. 'Landscaping' - the treatment of land (other than buildings) for the purpose of enhancing or protecting the amenities of the site and the area in which it is situated and includes: (a) screening by fences, walls or other means; (b) the planting of trees, hedges, shrubs or grass; (c) the formation of banks, terraces or other earthworks; (d) the laying out or provision of gardens, courts, squares, water features, sculpture or public art; and (e) the provision of other amenity features; 'Layout' - the way in which buildings, routes and open spaces within the development are provided, situated and orientated in relation to each other and to buildings and spaces outside the development. 'Scale' - the height, width and length of each building proposed within the development in relation to its surroundings.
Section 73 Application	Under Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 an application may be made to seek permission to vary or remove conditions attached to an existing planning permission for a development, without changing the fundamental nature or 'operative part' of the original permission. This allows developers to make material amendments to the conditions of a planning consent, such as changing the hours of operation or approved plans, subject to justification and the local planning authority's decision. A Section 73 Application will have the same suffix as the original application to which it relates. Consultation takes place and the Council will normally make a decision within eight (non-major) or 13 (major) weeks. The Council will only consider the changes being proposed, and any planning implications.
Householder application	(a) an application for planning permission for development for an existing dwellinghouse, or development within the curtilage of such a dwellinghouse for any purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse, or (b) an application for any consent, agreement or approval required by or under a planning permission, development order or local development order in relation to such development

Planning Application Types

Applications for planning permission

Follow-up consents related to planning permissions

Applications for prior approval

Other applications

Glossary

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