Decision details

To advise the Executive of the outcome of a recent review of the Council’s pre-application planning advice service and charges.

A review of the Council’s pre-application planning advice service has recently been undertaken and found that it was broadly meeting the requirements of customers.  The review also established that the Council’s current charges for providing pre-application planning advice, represent only partial recovery of the costs of delivering the service.  A proposal is therefore being brought to the Executive to increase the level of charging to provide pre-application planning advice.   

RESOLVED that the Executive:

(a)  agrees the provision of pre-application planning advice based on the service specification set out in Appendix C;

(b)  notes that the proposed charges for providing pre-application planning advice are exclusive of VAT;

(c)  recommends the proposed increased charges for providing pre-application planning advice set out at Appendix D to Council for approval as part of the Council’s budget;

(d)  notes that, subject to the approval of Council as set out in (b) above, the charges will come into effect for all pre-application planning advice requests received on or after the 1^st April 2020; and

(e)  notes that a further report addressing charges in relation to listed building and heritage assets advice, planning performance agreements and design coding work (as set out within Paragraphs 37 and 46-50 of the Briefing Paper) will be presented to a future meeting of the Executive.