Apply for planning permission

 
 

Pre-application Advice

We are able to provide you with advice and information if you are considering submitting a development proposal. We welcome and encourage discussions before you submit your application. We acknowledge the advantages of providing good quality advice to developers and their agents prior to the formal submission of a planning application in order to help speed up the development process and avoid unacceptable proposals. This is also important in the light of the Government’s targets for the speed of processing applications.

The provision of advice on development schemes is time consuming and costly. In view of this and taking into account the increased number of requests for pre application meetings, we have formalise the procedures for handling this area of work and introduced a fee for medium sized, large, strategic and more complex proposals.   This will help us to sustain and improve the service provided.  It will also ensure that the cost of providing advice does not fall as a general cost to the Council taxpayer.  Advice on small scale development proposals will remain free of charge.


The benefits of pre-application advice
Pre application advice will provide you with the following benefits:
  • understanding how our policies will be applied to your development
  • identifying the need for specialist input at an early stage e.g. for listed buildings, transportation, trees, landscape, noise, health, contaminated land or archaeology
  • assisting in the preparation of proposals for formal submission, which, if you follow our advice, should be handled more quickly and be more likely to result in a positive outcome
  • possibly reducing the time your professional advisors’ spend in working up the proposals
  • indicating those proposals that are completely unacceptable, so saving you the cost of pursuing a formal application

We make a charge for pre application advice for large/strategic, major and medium sized development schemes and certain planning briefs/master plans under the provisions of the Local Government Act 2003.


Proposals requiring a fee
A fee will be charged for pre application advice on the following types of development:

Category 1 - Medium developments
Medium developments include proposals for 5 to 9 new residential units or the creation/change of use of 500 to 999m2  floorspace.  

Category 2 - Major developments
Major proposals include proposals for 10 to 99 new residential units or the creation/ change of use of 1,000 to 9,999 m2.

Category 3 – Large/Strategic developments
Large/strategic proposals include proposals for 100 or more new residential units or the creation/ change of use of 10,000m2 or more floorspace

Category 4 – Planning briefs/ Master plans
Planning briefs are prepared for sites that landowners may wish to market or develop themselves, which would benefit from a planning brief to help maximise the value of the site disposal and to give an early indication of the development potential of the site.


Proposals not requiring a fee
Pre application advice for types of development proposals that do not fall into the categories listed above will not require a fee.  Most of the pre application advice that we provide will, therefore, remain free of charge including guidance on residential extensions, developments by small businesses, minor changes to the appearance of buildings and proposals requiring other types of application (e.g. listed building consent and conservation area consent).


How to make a request for pre-application advice that requires a fee
If you have a proposal that is likely to be subject to a charge you should initially make your request in writing to the relevant Area Team as follows:

North Team (NW1, NW6, NW8, W2, W9, W10 & W11)

Central Team (W1)

South Team (SW1, SW3, SW7, WC2 & EC4)

Planning and City Development
12th Floor
City Hall
64 Victoria Street
London  SW1E 6QP

Before a meeting can be arranged you should send the following information:

  • A site location plan.
  • A brief summary of the proposed development.
  • Sketch drawings and photographs to describe the site/building as existing.
  • Sketch drawings to describe the proposal.
  • Confirmation that you are willing to pay the appropriate fee.

Within 14 days of receiving a request for a meeting or submission of pre application proposals the we will contact you to confirm:

  • That your proposal requires a meeting to provide pre application advice; the Area Team Leader has the right to decline a request for a meeting to provide pre application advice where it is not considered either appropriate or necessary.
  • Whether a fee is required and confirmation of the amount
  • Any additional information that is required before meeting is offered; and
  • The name(s) of the planning officer(s) who will be handling your enquiry.

Before the meeting with the relevant officer(s) you must have paid the fee.

You should also provide the additional information requested when confirming that a meeting is required and other relevant information as set out in the attached guidance note:


The Fee
The fee must be paid before the meeting is held.  You should send us a cheque made payable to “City of Westminster”.  This fee covers administration costs and officers’ time for research, a meeting with an officer(s) and a written response. If your request is for a planning brief/master plan, the fee required to cover costs will be calculated on an individual basis.


The pre-application meeting and written confirmation of officer advice
Within 14 days of receipt of the required fee and any additional information requested, the specified case officer will contact you to organise an initial meeting.

Following this meeting you will receive a written response confirming the advice given. The information set out in the written response will be verified by the Area Team Leader and, where appropriate, one of the Heads of City Development or the Director of Planning and City Development.

Our aim is to issue a response within 2 weeks of the meeting being held. Where this is not possible due to the issues being more complex, a specific time scale reflecting this will be agreed at the meeting

If further discussion or negotiations on the proposal are requested following the issue of written advice a further fee is likely to be required as set out in the attached table.


Footnote
The final decision on applications is made by Council Members and in some cases by senior officers. It can only be taken after consultations with adjoining occupiers, those bodies which the City Council has a statutory requirement to consult and other interested parties once we have received your application(s) and following detailed assessment of the facts of the case. You should therefore be aware that the City Council’s officers can not give any guarantees about the decision that will be made on your application(s).