Major pre-planning application guidance notes and fee schedule

Category A: Staged pre-app programme

Inception meeting: A high-level introduction to site and aspirations from the council and applicant.

The matters suitable for discussion will include an overview of appropriate land use(s), quantum of development, building parameters.

Followed by an agreed programme of follow-up meetings focusing on more detailed matters. An indicative example programme could be as follows:

  1. Inception Meeting (vision and aspirations)
  2. Site layout and indicative scale and massing
  3. Design Development
  4. Design Review 1 (Full Review)
  5. Design Workshop (see separate guidance note)
  6. Detailed Design Development
  7. Viability and Affordable Housing
  8. Transport / Environmental Health / other Technical Matters
  9. Design Review 2 (Full Review)
  10. Review of final scheme proposal including final, full written response
  11. Members Engagement Session
  12. Final feedback prior to submission

Unless otherwise indicated, follow-up meetings will usually be followed by a brief note detailing what was discussed at the meeting (except for design reviews and members engagement sessions: see category G and category H).

Any external consultancy advice required as part of the meeting program would be subject to an additional fee to be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Suitable for

Significant/Larger-Scale Majors i.e. those with the potential to provide:

  • 150 or more residential units,
  • Tall buildings
  • Creation of 10,000m² or more (net) of commercial floor space, and/or
  • Development on a site of more than 2.5 hectares

Suitable for proposals at the earliest stage of development.

Minimum requirements for valid submission

  • Majors Pre-application request form
  • Fee
  • Site location plan
  • Details of the site area in hectares

FEE (all fees include VAT)

Initial fee of £5,793.75 for inception meeting.

Follow-up meeting fees to be confirmed alongside the agreed programme of meetings.

You'll need to pay an upfront fee for your inception meeting. After this, you'll need to pay 50 per cent of the agreed fee for the programme of meetings before they take place.

The remaining fee will then be required prior to further meetings taking place.