Doncaster Council

About the Charter

In recognition for the need to provide the best and most efficient service to its customers, the Department has adopted a Customer Charter which sets out the standards against which it's performance will be monitored. In addition to any other specific performance criteria imposed by Central Government or the Council, the Department is committed to providing the following level of service: 

1. The office will be open and staffed between 8.30am and 5.00pm (normal office hours), Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays and other official Council holidays.
2. Telephones will be answered promptly at all times during normal office hours and an answer phone facility will be available outside these hours. If an appropriate officer is not immediately available your call will be returned within one working day.
3. Staff will be identified by name in both correspondence and when answering telephone queries.
4. All correspondence is to be acknowledged and, where possible, fully answered within five working days, or in cases where a site visit or further research is required will be fully answered within a further thirty working days from the initial acknowledgement. If we can't meet this deadline, we will let you know why and when you will get a full reply.
5. Appropriately qualified Planning and Building Control Officers will be available to give coordinated advice during normal office hours.
6. Pre-application discussions will be welcomed (in confidence if you wish) and encouraged in respect of all Planning and Building Regulations matters. Appointments are encouraged and will be available with an appropriately qualified officer within ten working days of a request. In addition, subject to agreement with the officer concerned, it may be possible to arrange an appointment outside normal office hours between 8.30am and 6.00pm.
7. Up-to-date written guidance and literature will be available regarding the procedure of submitting Planning and Building Regulations applications.
8. Up-to-date written guidance and literature will be available regarding the standards that new developments are expected to achieve.
9. All applications will be acknowledged within five working days or applicants/agents will be notified within a similar period as to why an application is incomplete or invalid.
10. All new Planning applications will be receipted within two working days of submission and consultations initiated within five working days of registration.
11. At least 75% of household planning applications (extensions and alterations to dwelling houses) and 65% of all other planning applications will be determined within the statutory eight-week period.
12. All Building Regulations applications will be determined within the prescribed period (Either five weeks or two months by agreement).
13. Decision notices on planning and building regulations applications will normally be issued within five working days of the application having been determined.
14. Objectors to planning applications will be notified of decisions within five working days of the application having been determined.
15. Focus groups will be held with regular users of the Service at least once a year, in addition to which questionnaires will be sent out with decision notices to enable applicants/agents to register their comments as to the efficiency with which the applications have been dealt.
16. A formal complaints procedure is available in cases where the performance of staff is considered to be unsatisfactory.