Planning - Pre Application

What is this for?

The submission of a pre-application enquiry enables you to obtain clear, impartial professional advice, at an early stage, regarding key issues that should be addressed before submitting a formal development proposal.

We aim to provide the pre-application advice you specifically require, proactively tailoring the service to answer the questions you have raised.

Pre-application advice can help to prevent unacceptable schemes from entering the formal planning process (reducing the time and money spent by your professional advisors in working up such proposals in more detail), and will provide you with clear, proactive guidance on what you can do to turn such a scheme into an acceptable one.

Addressing key issues at pre-application stage helps you prepare a higher quality application so we can process it more quickly and give you a decision sooner. As a result, this can assist in speeding up the determination of your planning application and improve the quality of the development proposal.

Pre-application engagement can help you identify and address at an early stage whether specialist advice is necessary (for example about listed buildings, trees, highways, ecology). The submission of complete and accurate applications can greatly assist in providing third parties with a clear and concise development proposal on which to make comments. This can help to streamline the consultation and notification process to the benefit of both applicant and third parties alike.

Who can apply?

The pre-application service is open to everyone.

What is it going to cost?

The cost for this type of request varies depending on the nature of your enquiry. For details of fees visit the pre application advice webpage.

Payment 

Payment can only me made via the website when submitting a pre-application submission.

What we need from you

The more information you can provide us, in respect of your proposal, the more detailed advice we will be able to provide to you. In all cases we will require the following as a minimum:

• 1:500 Site plan
• Sketch/outline drawings and elevation
• Any further information you have about the proposal

It maybe necessary for us to ask you for further information for more complex proposals, such as:

• A draft Design and Access Statement
• Site Surveys (e.g. Tree, Landscape, Ecology, Archaeology, Noise etc)
• Initial Flood Risk Assessment
• Any proposed planning obligations identified by yourselves

We will continually monitor the uptake of our discretionary services and balance this with resource availability. If at any point it is felt that the demand exceeds the available resource we shall put measures in place to avoid compromising our service offers.

What you should expect from us

• We will acknowledge your request in writing within 3 working days of receipt and will provide you with a reference number.
• For written advice, we will endeavour to provide a response within 28 days of receipt of the required fee and/or any additional information we have requested from you.
• For the meeting/written response option the case officer will normally contact you within 10 working days of receipt of the required fee and/or any additional information to agree a mutually convenient date and time. You will then receive a written response within 28 days of the meeting having taken place.
• There will be cases where the complexity of proposed development requires a specific time frame to be agreed with the applicant. On such occasions, the case officer will make contact to explain the reasoning for this and agree a specific timescale for the response.

It will not be possible for us to engage in subsequent informal communications with individuals once we have provided you with a full written response. 

More information

• Pre Application Advice

Privacy Notice

The Council is committed to meeting its data protection obligations and handling your information securely. You should make sure you read and understand the Planning Services privacy notice, which sets out what you need to know about how Doncaster Council will use your information in the course of our work as a Local Planning Authority.