Planning pre-application advice service

Apply for pre-application advice

This service is not a substitute for a planning application.

This is a service to give advice on specific planning proposals before an application is made, available for a  Fee [70KB] .  For general planning enquiries, please contact the Duty Planning Officer.

We offer a pre-application advice service to anyone wanting help with a development before submitting a planning application.

We strongly encourage using our pre-application advice service. Early engagement has significant potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the planning application process. It can help to reduce the risk of development projects, and can lead to improved outcomes for applicants and the community.

The pre-application advice service cannot be used to advise whether or not planning permission is required for a proposal. If you are unsure whether you need planning permission you can use our 'check if you need planning permission' tool or see the Planning Portal. To receive a formal confirmation of whether planning permission is required, you can apply for a Certificate of lawfulness.
 

We have a range of options available, depending on the nature and scale of the proposed development:

Resident's householder advice service

The aim of this service is to provide residents with cost-effective and comprehensive written advice on a proposed household development. This includes:

• extensions and alterations to existing dwellings, including roof alterations
• erection or alteration of outbuildings, including detached garages and sheds
• creation of new annexes which are ancillary to the main house (not where a separate dwelling would be created)
• works to listed dwellings or those in Conservation Areas
• erection or alteration of walls and fences
• installation of domestic electric vehicle charging points

Your proposal will be assessed by a suitability qualified planning officer. Where appropriate and available, we will include expert views from consultees within the council (for example: Ecology and Conservation). Please see the section below about specialist advice.

We will send you a comprehensive letter which includes:

• a summary of the relevant planning policies and how they apply to your proposal
• planning officer advice on the key issues and (where possible) the likely outcome of a planning application
• planning officer recommendations on ways of addressing any identified issues

In order to offer a cost-effective and efficient service for residents, the planning officer will carry out a desktop assessment. We recommend including a selection of photographs with your submission that show the location of the proposed development and its surroundings. No meetings or other add-on options are available for this service, but you can include a statement with your submission that sets out your aspirations and reasoning for the proposed development.

Cost

The cost for the resident's householder advice service is £240 (including VAT).

We aim to provide you with a written response within 20 working days, but we will let you know if a longer time is necessary.

All other pre-application advice enquiries

The aim of this service is to provide prospective applicants with comprehensive written advice on a proposed development. This includes all forms of development except for domestic householder advice.

Your proposal will be assessed by a suitability qualified planning officer. Where appropriate and available, we will include expert views from consultees within the Council (for example: Ecology and Conservation). Please see the section below about specialist advice.

We will send you a comprehensive letter which includes:

• a summary of the relevant planning policies and how they apply to your proposal
• planning officer advice on the key issues and (where possible) the likely outcome of a planning application
• planning officer recommendations on ways of addressing any identified issues

The assigned planning officer will undertake a site visit to inform their assessment. Where this pre-application advice is given, we will offer up to one meeting with no additional charge at the discretion of the planning officer. Further meetings will incur an additional charge. We may decline any meetings which are not considered to add value.

Cost

The cost of this service depends on its nature and scale, in accordance with the schedule of fees [70KB] .

We aim to provide you with a written response within 30 working days, but we will let you know if a longer time is necessary.

Follow-up advice

This includes subsequent pre-application enquiries of the same character (and/or description) by the same applicant on the same site as a previous paid for pre-application enquiry or planning application. It must be submitted within 3 months of the date of the original pre-application response or planning application decision from the council.

Cost

This is charged at 75% of the relevant fee set out in the schedule. The adjusted fee will be subject to VAT.

For these enquiries, a further written response will be provided.

Specialist advice

Where appropriate and available, we will include expert views from consultees within the council (for example: Ecology and Conservation) as part of our standard pre-application advice service.

At the current time, the Highways Service cannot provide pre-application advice.

Additional costs

Where a proposal includes development that has different elements that fall into more than one category listed, then the fees for all relevant categories forming the proposal are added together. The adjusted fee will be subject to VAT as set out in the schedule.

If the pre-application contains additional proposed options for consideration by the council, then the fee will be as set out in the schedule, plus an additional 50% of the fee that would be required (as set out above) per additional proposal option where development is in the same category. The adjusted fee will be subject to VAT, as set out in the schedule.

Further follow-up advice includes subsequent pre-application enquiries of the same character (and/or description) by the same applicant on the same site as a previous paid for pre-application enquiry or planning application. It must be submitted within 3 months of the date of the original pre-application response or planning application decision from the council. This is charged at 75% of the relevant fee set out in the schedule. The adjusted fee will be subject to VAT.

How to pay

To pay for our pre-app service you can:

• pay online using our secure online payment system
• pay with a debit or credit card over the phone - call the secure payment line on 01635 503828 (option 5 for Planning) during office hours

Any fees paid will not be refunded if it is decided by an applicant/agent that the advice is no longer required, even if we have not yet provided it.

Apply for pre-application advice

What do I need to provide

The online application form will ask you key questions about the location and nature of your proposed development. You can also provide us with plans and other supporting documentation. Whilst there are no minimum requirements, the more information you can provide the more we can assess and provide feedback.

It is recommended that you provide the following, where applicable:

• Location Plan clearly identifying the site or building in question
• Site Plan (or Block Plan) show the proposals in detail
• elevation and floor plan drawings
• existing plans will often assist in the understanding of the proposal, particularly where demolition is taking place, or for any listed building
• photographs showing the location of the proposed development and its surroundings

Supporting information can also include:

• a Design and Access Statement, which explains how a proposed development is considered a suitable response to the site and its setting, and demonstrates that the development can be adequately accessed by prospective users
• specialist reports (including those set out in our Local List [1MB] )
   

Major and complex development

For strategic, larger or complex development proposals we encourage the use of Planning Performance Agreements (PPA). A PPA is a project management tool which the local planning authorities and applicants can use to agree timescales, actions and resources for handling particular applications. It should cover the pre-application and application stages but may also extend through to the post-application stage.

Please contact us via planapps@westberks.gov.uk in relation to those proposals.

Confidentiality and commercial sensitivity

We treat pre-application enquiries on a confidential basis. However, they may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act or Environmental Information Regulations. See our  Planning Pre-Application Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and Freedom of Information (FOI) guidance [3KB] .

If your application is commercially sensitive, you may want to optionally include a completed Commercially Sensitive Material Checklist [42KB] . Should we receive a request under the above legislation, your views will be taken into account, but ultimately the council reserve the right to determine whether the information should be withheld or released.

After you've applied

Once we receive your completed application form along with your payment, we'll check it and give it to a case officer to manage. Where possible the same officer will deal with any subsequent planning application.

We'll send you an acknowledgement, along with a unique reference number, within five working days.
 

Depending on which option you've selected, the Planning Case Officer will then:

• carry out research, and identify any key issues likely to be raised by your proposal (if applicable)
• consult with relevant West Berkshire Council specialists (if applicable)
• arrange a Site Visit and/or meeting (if applicable)
• advise you of any amendments or alterations that could be made to improve your proposals and overcome planning concerns
• advise you on the possible outcome of a future planning application
• advise you on the possible 'Heads of Terms' that may apply to any necessary legal agreement

We will send a written response to you within the timeframes stated above. Sometimes the process takes longer than this to allow for the return of consultation responses. We'll let you know if this is the case and agree a revised target date.