We are able to provide you
with advice and information if you are considering a development
proposal and welcome and encourage discussions before you submit an
application.
It can be very helpful for you to
seek our advice about your planning proposals before submitting
your actual application. This can help to overcome potential
difficulties and make sure your application addresses all the
important planning considerations. It is an opportunity to better
understand the way in which an application will be judged against
the policies in the development plan and other material
considerations.
You may also find it helpful
to obtain advice from an independent planning specialist when
drawing up your scheme. People who regularly prepare planning
applications have the experience and expertise that can help make
sure your scheme has the best chance of being granted permission.
Spending time and effort in preparing your scheme is more likely to
result in a good quality and acceptable development and also help
us process your application quickly. We will tell you what plans
and supporting information we will require with any planning
application.
As a result of the time and
resources involved in giving pre-application advice, we have
introduced pre-application charges based on the type of
proposal. This means that the service does not fall as a general
cost to the council tax payer.
HOW THE SCHEME WORKS
Requests for pre application advice, need to be in writing/email
or on a Pre application advice enquiry form and be
accompanied by the appropriate fee. Meetings will be
attended by an appropriate professional officer from the Council.
These will be either in the Council offices or, if considered more
appropriate, on site. You will need to provide us with information
about the site and details about your scheme. This will normally
include:
a) a site location plan;
b) a description and summary of your proposals, and
preferably sketch plans;
c) if possible, photographs of the site
d) contact details
The more information you can provide, the more complete
the advice from us can be.
If a meeting is required, we will arrange the date as soon
as possible after receipt. Clearly the more information and detail
you can provide about your proposed development, the more
comprehensive and constructive our advice will be. Where necessary
that advice will include changes required to make a scheme
acceptable.
The charge/advice will apply equally to situations where
the development has been fully or partially completed and the
application will be retrospective.
OUR ADVICE
Our advice will set out the issues which would be raised
by the development proposed and outline what would be needed to
make it supportable, or in the event that it cannot be made
acceptable, what the grounds of refusal would be. Advice will be
given on what information would need to accompany a planning
application and other costs such as Community Infrastructure Levy
and Section 106 requirements.
Payment can be made by cheque (made payable to South
Somerset District Council) submitted with the request.
Alternatively if you wish to pay by credit or debit card, please
include a contact phone number or email address.
Our advice will be provided based on the available
information but will not be any guarantee that any subsequent
planning application will result in a particular decision and will
not be binding on the Council in any way. It is possible that the
officer opinion may change during the formal application process as
a result of views of consultees and other interested parties. The
officer will contact you if this is the case. Furthermore, the
final decision may be made by the Planning Committee, rather than
by officers, and it is possible that the Committee may reach a
different view.
Whether or not you decide to seek and accept
pre-application advice does not affect your right to submit a
planning application or appeal against a refusal of permission.
Please note that if you choose not to make use of the
pre-application advice service, or choose to ignore any advice
given, we cannot guarantee to negotiate amendments to a scheme
following submission of an application.