Pre-application Planning Advice - Charging Schedule

Cannock Chase Council welcomes discussions with prospective applicants to discuss their development proposals prior to submission. The intention is to improve the quality of submissions and to assist the applicant in ensuring that the necessary information is provided in order to expedite the process from submission to decision.

A Development Management Officer from the Planning Service will respond to your request and will provide high-quality timely advice. The Council will impose a charge for the service which relates to the scale of the proposal as well as the level and range of support required from planning officers. The initial advice will be in the form of a desktop assessment and a meeting will only be arranged if deemed necessary by the Officer at an additional charge. Similarly a subsequent meeting will be at the discretion of the Planning Officer.

You may be considering developing on, or near to, brownfield (previously developed) land, or a landfill. Such land may be affected by land contamination, particularly where the previous use was of an industrial nature.

Land contamination can present a risk to human health and the wider environment. Development presents an opportunity to understand and, where necessary, address those risks. 

The Developers Guide to Land Contamination in Staffordshire has been prepared for those looking to develop land in Cannock Chase district, where the presence of land contamination is known or suspected. It aims to provide a step by step guide to what Cannock Chase Council (‘CCDC’) will typically require to ensure that unacceptable risks from land contamination are addressed.

Form downloads

• Cannock Householder pre-application form

• Cannock Other pre-application form

FEE TABLE: 

The Council will aim to respond within 20 working days of receipt of the request and payment of the corresponding fee for minor developments and 30 days for major developments. Reasons for any time extension will be explained and agreed in consultation with the applicant where it is not possible to meet the 20/30 day target. 

The pre-application service will include advice on:

• The interpretation and application of local, regional and national guidance/policies that will apply to the proposal.
• The main issues and potential conflicts raised by the proposal as well as consultation that may be necessary with stakeholders and external organisations (potential additional fees). 
• The need for specialist advice (potential additional fees).
• Whether proposals are completely unacceptable to save you the cost and expense of preparing a planning application.
• The potential planning obligations generated by the proposal such as Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 covering affordable housing, education contributions and open space requirements etc.
• Planning history.
• Procedures such as Environmental Impact Assessment.
• Extent of documents and supporting information required at application stage to ensure that the application can be validated on submission.
   

The advice provided will be supported by written recommendations provided by the officer. This advice is provided on a ‘without prejudice’ basis and should be used to support the subsequent planning application. 
 

Note on Householder applications

A site visit in relation to householder applications will not be included unless exceptional circumstances warrant it. An online meeting with a planning officer will be the default option.
 

Required information:

• Completed pre-application advice request form with relevant fee.
• A site location plan with the site outlined in red to a recognised scale (1:1250, 1:500 etc).
• Details of existing use, floor plans, elevations and sections.
• Summary of the proposal including details of scale and height of proposed structures and associated works accompanied by sketch drawings ideally to a recognised scale.
• Photographs of the site showing existing buildings and surrounding area for context.
• Details of the proposed layout ideally at a recognised scale and if appropriate details of parking, access, density, landscaping and retention of trees/vegetation and structures.
• Outline of materials to be used accompanied by a design statement.
   

Most building work and some changes of use of buildings will also require Building Regulation approval.  More information about making a building regulation application can be found on the Council’s website.
 

Large scale proposals

Major applications (greater than 10 units/or greater than 1000 sqm commercial floor space) will require a higher level of officer input including officers from different parts of the authority to reflect greater levels of complexity. This may include officers from Planning Policy, Environmental Health, Parks and Open Spaces and Legal etc. This would provide a Development Team approach as a greater level of consideration and preparatory work is necessary. 

A lead Planning Officer will provide a single point of contact to manage the process and organise meetings and input of various parties. It is recognised that Large-scale proposals require time to evolve and develop negotiated solutions to identified issues before an application can be submitted. Planning Performance Agreements have been used for a number of applications within the district and will be recommended for larger scale/regeneration proposals. Where proposals are brought forward through a PPA a bespoke programme of engagement and activity will be developed and agreed. The PPA programme would include:

• A designated lead Planning Officer and single point of contact.
• Access to lead officer who will aim to provide responses to queries within 5 working days. 
• A programme of pre-application consultation meetings with local authority officers (up to an agreed number) including site visits were necessary.
• Advice on proposed programme of engagement and scope of pre-application discussions including key tasks and actions.
• An established professional support team comprising specialist officers from across the local authority to advise applicant.
• Arrangement of specific meetings with key officers (up to an agreed number). 
• Arrangements for sub-group meetings and agreement of composition and scope (up to an agreed number).
• Identification of key stakeholders and statutory consultees that can be approached separately for their views and comments.
• A programme for the submission of a planning application (where possible) and an indicative timescale to determination.
• Written confirmation of key documents and information required to support the planning application to assist timely validation and registration. 
• Advice to support consultation activities.
• Preparation of action points arising from meetings with responsibilities and timescales for agreement and action.
• Monitoring of actions and reporting on progress.
• Discussions relating to anticipated Section 106 obligations progressing to Heads of Terms if agreement is obtained.
   

Request for Pre-application advice

All requests for pre-application advice/meetings will be through the Pre-application Advice Request Form. 

The form must be completed in full and all necessary information submitted with it including the appropriate fee. The request will be registered and acknowledged within 5 working days and a Development Management Officer will make contact as soon as practicable.

Required information:

• Completed pre-application advice request form with relevant fee.
• A site location plan with the site outlined in red to a recognised scale (1:1250, 1:500 etc).
• Details of existing use, floor plans, elevations and sections.
• Summary of the proposal including details of scale and height of proposed structures and associated works accompanied by sketch drawings to a recognised scale.
• Photographs of the site showing existing buildings and surrounding area for context.
• Details of the proposed layout at a recognised scale and details of parking, access, density, landscaping and retention of trees/vegetation and structures.
• Contextual sketch drawings showing the development within the immediate area and relationship to adjacent land and buildings.
• Outline of materials to be used, analysis of urban design and design statement response, streetscene images, 2D/3D computer modelling, photomontages etc.
   

Advice is provided on a ‘without prejudice’ basis and should be used to support the subsequent planning application. Any views or opinions expressed are given in good faith, based on existing policies and standards and will not influence the formal consideration of a future planning application which will be the subject of public consultation and may ultimately be decided by the Council’s Planning Committee.
 

Exemptions

• Enquiries relating to a Listed Building.
• Works to trees.
• Requests from Parish Councils.
• Applications where the development is directly related to the needs of a registered disabled resident including means of access into or within a building for disabled persons.
• Planning discussions relating to an enforcement investigation.
• Telecommunications
• Advice on how to submit an application.

In all other circumstances, the Council will charge for providing advice. There is information available on the Planning Portal and general enquiries will be directed to this site. Applicants also have the option of appointing their own planning agent for advice. Permitted Development enquiries can only be officially responded to through the submission of a Lawful Development Certificate which will confirm whether the proposal accords with Permitted Development rules as set out in legislation.  
 

Disclaimer

Pre-application advice provided by Planning Officers of the Council is provided without prejudice to any formal decision of the Council. The advice does not constitute a formal decision of the Council and cannot bind the Council in reaching a decision on any planning application.

Advice is provided in the context of the adopted Cannock Chase Local Plan 2015 and the National Planning Policy Framework. The emerging Local Plan has limited weight at this time and pre-application discussions prior to the adoption of the new Local Plan carry the risk that the planning context may change. Such discussions at carried out at the applicants risk and fees will not be refunded in these circumstances where the planning context changes.

Officer advice will be guided by the information provided by the requester and the planning context at the time. The advice provided is officer level advice and will not prejudice the Council’s position when considering a planning application. Issues may arise at a later time following pre-application discussion and for this reason officer’s cannot provide any assurances of the potential outcome of a planning application.
 

Confidentiality
 

Any request for a pre-application discussion as well as the Council response is potentially disclosable under a Freedom of Information request. The same applies to requests under Environmental Information Regulations. Exemptions apply within FOI and EIR legislation that sets out the circumstances where the Council can withhold information.
In certain circumstances, such as where the information is deemed to be commercially sensitive or contains personal information, the applicant can provide supporting information to illustrate their case, however it should be stressed that the final decision on whether the information should be withheld lies with the Council. 

Please refer to the Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation section including the Cannock Chase SAC FAQs document if you require advice on the SAC.

Guidance on Contaminated land

You may be considering developing on, or near to, brownfield (previously developed) land, or a landfill. Such land may be affected by land contamination, particularly where the previous use was of an industrial nature.

Land contamination can present a risk to human health and the wider environment. Development presents an opportunity to understand and, where necessary, address those risks. 

The Developers Guide to Land Contamination in Staffordshire has been prepared for those looking to develop land in Cannock Chase district, where the presence of land contamination is known or suspected. It aims to provide a step by step guide to what Cannock Chase Council (‘CCDC’) will typically require to ensure that unacceptable risks from land contamination are addressed.