Pre-application advice

Please note we are currently experiencing delays to this service.

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

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)
• For pre application requests from 1 April 2023 use pre application request form April 2023 (doc)
• For pre application requests from 1 April 2023 use pre application request form April 2023 (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.

Meetings

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.

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.

Pre-application fees

Our pre-application fees can be found here.

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.