Pre-application planning advice
Pre-application planning advice is advice we can give you before you submit a planning application. The service will provide you with an indication as to whether your proposal is likely to gain planning permission or not. We will also give you information on what the key planning issues are and what you would need to submit with any application that you make.
Our pre-application planning advice covers all application types, including:
- Householder and small-scale commercial developments
- Larger scale schemes, which often require input from one of our specialist advisers
The service will help you:
- Understand how our policies will be applied to your proposal
- Identify potential problems and possible solutions before you make an application
- Reduce the burden of additional costs and time consuming amendments to submitted applications
- Provide input from specialists where appropriate for example Conservation or Landscape advice
- Identify proposals which are in principle contrary to policy and therefore not likely to obtain planning permission which will save you the cost and time of pursuing a formal application
We will respond to your enquiry with a letter that sets out:
- The relevant planning policies
- An assessment of the key planning issues
- Advice regarding potential S106 heads of terms
- A list of the documents that would need to accompany a planning application
Scale of charges
The scale of charges for our services is set out in the tables below. The cost of the service depends on its category and whether the type of service being provided is written-only or a site visit. Response time and the cost of an additional site visit or meeting are also listed.
| Proposal type | Fee for Written Response Only (INC VAT) | Response in |
|---|---|---|
| A.1: Do I Need Planning Permission? | £65 | 28 days |
| A.2: Extensions and Alterations to Houses and Flats | £105 | 28 days |
| A.3: Advertisement Consent | £230 | 42 days |
| A.4: Prior Approvals | £230 | 42 days |
| A.5: Details Required by Condition / S106 Obligations | £105 | 28 days |
| Proposal type | Fee for Written Response and Site Visit (INC VAT) | Response in |
|---|---|---|
| A.6: Alterations to Listed Buildings (where planning permission is not required) | £185 | 28 days |
| A.7: Trees (Fixed Fee Desktop Appraisal) | £55 (Desktop Appraisal) + £80 for site visit | 28 days |
Minor Residential Development
| Category | Fee for Written Response Only (INC VAT) | Response in |
|---|---|---|
| B.1: 1 - 2 Residential Units | £260 | 42 days |
| B.2: 3 - 5 Residential Units | £520 | 42 days |
| B.3: 6 - 9 Residential Units | £780 | 42 days |
Optional 1-hour meeting will be charged at £80
Minor Other Development
| Category | Fee for Written Response Only (INC VAT) | Response in |
|---|---|---|
| C.1: Non-Residential Alterations/Extension, Change of Use, No new floorspace - 99m2 | £105 | 28 days |
| C.2: Non-Residential Extension, Change of Use 100m2 - 999m2 | £910 | 42 days |
Optional 1-hour meeting will be charged at £80
Major Residential Development
| Category | Fee for Written Response, Site Visit and 2-Hour Meeting (INC VAT) | Response in |
|---|---|---|
| D.1: 10 - 24 Residential Units | £1,555 | 42 days |
| D.2: 25 - 49 Residential Units | £2,100 | 42 days |
| D.3: 50 - 199 Residential Units | £3,110 | 42 days |
| D.4: 200 - 399 Residential Units | £4,670 | 42 days |
| D.5: 400 + Residential Units | £8,000 | 42 days |
Note: For category D.5 additional 1-hour meetings will be charged at £310 (up to max 2 hours)
Major Other Development
| Category | Fee for Written Response, Site Visit and 2-Hour Meeting (INC VAT) | Response in |
|---|---|---|
| E.1: Non-Residential Extensions/Change of Use 1,000m2 - 4,999m2 floorspace | £1,140 | 42 days |
| E.2: Non-Residential Extensions/Change of Use 5,000m2 - 9,999m2 floorspace | £1,555 | 42 days |
| E.3: Non-Residential Extensions/Change of Use 10,000m2 and over | £2,280 | 42 days |
All additional 2-hour meetings will be charged at £310
| Category | Fee for Written Response Only (INC VAT) | Response in |
|---|---|---|
| F.1: Confirmation of Use Class | £100 | 28 days |
| F.2: Confirmation of Permitted Development Rights | £100 | 28 days |
Post Refusal Service
| Category | Fee for Meeting and Follow-Up Note (INC VAT) | Response in |
|---|---|---|
| G.3: Post Refusal Advice (Householder) | £55 | 28 days |
| G.4: Post Refusal Advice (Minor Residential Development 1 - 2 Residential Units) | £130 | 28 days |
| G.5: Post Refusal Advice (Minor Residential Development 3 - 5 Residential Units) | £260 | 28 days |
| G.6: Post Refusal Advice (Minor Residential Development 6 - 9 Residential Units) | £390 | 28 days |
| G.7: Post Refusal Advice (Non-Residential Alterations/Extensions/Change of Use, No New Floor Space - 99m2) | £55 | 28 days |
| G.8: Post Refusal Advice (Non-Residential Alterations/Extensions/Change of Use 100m2 - 999m2) | £460 | 28 days |
Mixed Use Schemes will be charged the relevant higher fee only
S106 fees
| Category | Fee | Response in |
|---|---|---|
| H: Enquiry fee | £160 | 10 days |
| I: Discharge of Obligation | £298 | 56 days |
| J: Modification of S106 | £586 | 56 days |
S106 Monitoring Fee
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| V: Charge per payment of contribution/agreement of specification | £400 |
W: Charge per agreement of each individual infrastructure, specification, delivery, transfer and payment of maintenance sum | £1000 |
Get pre-application planning advice
To use this service, please fill in our Pre-Application Planning Advice form and attach the following:
- A site location plan (scale 1:1250) with the site outlined in red
- Drawings showing details of the proposal and dimensions, which incudes:
- Floor plans for each floor of the building
- Elevations (ideally showing the relationship with any adjacent buildings)
- Position of access and/or existing access
- Position of any trees that may or may not be affected
Formal scaled plans and elevations would be beneficial, but if the scheme is at an early stage a written outline of the proposal with sketch plans should be provided as a minimum.
All requests for advice must be submitted by completing the pre-application advice e-form. No other forms of submission will be accepted.
Pre-application advice and discussions can be appropriate for any development proposal and not all development enquires will require a meeting with a planning officer. Written advice can be provided by an exchange of correspondence.
Important: Pre-Application Advice and Requests for Information under the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) or Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
All pre- application requests for advice, discussions and any advice provided by the Council will be treated in confidence and will not be available to view as part of the public access portal .
However, if we receive a request for pre-application information we hold, we may be required to release it in full or in part, in accordance with the EIRs or FOIA , unless we can demonstrate that any exceptions/ exemptions apply. Our considerations must be based on the particular circumstances of each case. We may contact you for your views and take these into account, where possible.
Access to the Horsham Transport Study Model
For larger developments of a strategic scale, we can also provide access to the Horsham Transport Study Model.
Whilst developed to support development of the Horsham District Local Plan, it is also available for use by professional transport consultants in preparing a Transport Assessment to assess the impact of a proposed development.
The Protocol and Schedule of Fees for Third Party Access to Data sets out the fees for accessing the full model and datasets, the conditions for its use, and how to request access.
After you apply
Within 10 working days of receiving your request we will provide written confirmation by email of receipt of the submission, together with details of the relevant fee for the advice, if this has not been received already as part of the on-line submission.
We will also advise you if we have a sufficient level of information to process the request for advice.
Where a fee has been submitted for advice without all other necessary information and the additional information is not received within 4 weeks of the original submission, the fee will be returned but £25 will be deducted to cover administration costs.
Once we have received the relevant fee and the required supporting documents, your request will become ‘valid’ and the relevant timeframe will begin for providing a response.
We will write to you confirming which officer will be processing the request for advice and what date a response is due.
Where meetings and/or site visits form part of the fee, or they have been requested and paid for, the officer dealing will make contact to agree a convenient date.
For all enquiries, email planning@horsham.gov.uk