Minor development advice

If you're a business owner your work will be a minor development if it’s for:

  • 1 to 9 residential units
  • floor space up to 999 square metres
  • shopfronts
  • advertisements
  • air conditioning or ventilation equipment
  • telecommunications 
  • listed building consent, repairs and pre-purchase advice (written advice)
  • trees.

Pre-application advice for minor developments

The advice will cover:

  • details of any legal designations and restrictions that affect the site
  • key planning policy context and assessment of the scheme against planning policy
  • any other material considerations
  • potential contributions you must make for developments
  • a summary of changes that might be required to improve the scheme and, if possible, overcome objections
  • identify areas within the pre-application scheme that may need addressing or changing
  • the likelihood of the scheme being accepted.

Expectations from your pre-application advice

For a meeting in office or on site:

  • we’ll contact you within 10 working days if more information is needed or to tell you your enquiry has been registered, along with the details of the case
  • we’ll offer you a meeting within 10 working days of registration
  • a meeting will take place within a timescale agreed with the applicant.

Written advice will be sent within 20 working days of registration unless another timescale has been agreed.   

View an example of written pre-application advice

As the applicant, you’re expected to consult with the Parish Council.

Cost of minor development pre-application advice  

The fees for minor development pre-application advice are:

  • meeting: £562
  • meeting and written advice: £702
  • charged per hour for officer follow up.

Meetings will be held at Gun Wharf and site visits will be at the planning officer’s discretion.

View our full list of pre-application planning advice fees

View how to apply for pre-application planning advice