Pre-application advice

We are pleased to offer pre-application advice to guide applicants before a formal application is submitted.

There are three different ways in which we can provide pre-application advice

• In writing
• A letter and a meeting
• A Pre-application forum

If you would like to seek our views on your proposed scheme, please complete our pre application form

• pre application request form (doc)
• pre application request form (pdf)

You will need to tick which type of pre application request you are requiring. The different pre-application services we provide are listed below.

Written advice

Our written advice to you will set out the relevant policies that would be considered when assessing your proposal, the key issues that your application will need to address, reports that you will need to submit and will set out whether we consider planning permission is likely to be granted or refused. Although the advice contained in the letter is not binding to the local planning authority, it will provide you with useful information to help you decide whether you want to proceed with the submission of a planning application and what application submission should include. The level of detail in our response will however be dependant on the level of detail provided in your pre-application submission. The more information you provide, the more detailed our response will be.

Meetings

In addition, to written advice, you can also pay for a meeting with the Planning Officer and other specialists in the Council, such as a Planning Policy Officer or a Conservation Officer.

Meetings are really useful to be able talk through a particular issue with Planning Officers and whether there are ways to address those issues.

The meeting is typically held before written advice is issued. The written advice will include all those things mentioned under the written advice heading above and capture key points discussed at the meeting.

In instances where you have paid for a meeting, to enable us to provide you with as much detailed advice as possible we ask you to submit drawings and any other background information that you may have available at least two weeks before the meeting.
For major or complex schemes, where we may need consult other people before advising you, we will require the information further in advance. For these schemes we will let you know when we will need the information when we make the appointment.

Pre-application forums

A pre-application forum is a public meeting that allows engagement with the local community and councillors. We have found that this service to be very effective. It allows proposals to respond to and address issues raised by the local community and councillors and adapt planning application submission accordingly.

How Forums work

The pre-application forum is held at the Council Offices and the meeting starts at 6pm and is hosted by the leader of the council. The planning officer provides a brief introduction followed by a PowerPoint presentation by the developer. Specialists may also be brought along if it is thought that councillors and members of the public would be interested in a certain matter, for example a Transport Consultant.

After the presentation, the floor is open to councillors to ask questions. Notification letters to local residents are sent in advance of the meeting to let them know that questions can be asked through councillors and they will need to contact their councillors in advance of the meeting with those questions. There is normally a break in the middle, which allows members of public to raise further questions with their councillors.

The meeting is closed promptly at 8pm.

Where a Pre-Application Forum is to be held, it will take 4 to 5 weeks to arrange and give anybody invited to attend adequate notice. It is important to allow enough time after the forum for proposals to be amended to take account of the outcome of the forum before an application is submitted.

• upcoming Pre-application forums

Pre-application fees

• Pre-application fees

Further pre-application advice

The Environment Agency provides pre-application planning advice on issues such as flood risk, assessing flood risk, groundwater protection and contaminated land.

Natural England also provides pre-application advice through their Discretionary Advice Service and standing advice.

East Sussex County Council provides pre-application advice on highway matters.