How to submit a planning application

What are the stages of planning permission?

If you submit a planning application, it will go through a number of stages. These are

• pre-submission
• submission
• validation
• consideration
• decision

Pre-submission

Do I need planning permission?

You can make minor changes without applying for planning permission, this is called permitted development.

• the Planning Portal has an interactive guide which can help
• more guidance about planning permission from the Planning Portal
• permitted development rights for householders from GOV.UK

Any changes not covered by permitted development are likely to require planning permission. You can apply for pre-application advice. 

What else can I do to find out if I need planning permission?

1. Attend the Wednesday Walk-in from 2pm to 5pm at our Seaclose Office and talk to a Planning Officer to seek informal advice.
2. You may also want to think about whether a planning consultant could help you with your application.
3. Submit a lawful development certificate application on the Planning Portal. We will then confirm in writing whether planning permission is needed or not.

What is a lawful development certificate?

Submission

If you do need planning permission, the quickest way is to submit it online. Your application can then be processed and validated. Make sure you submit everything you need to accompany the application.

Watch the video to find how to make an online planning application.

Do I need to pay to submit a planning application?

For most planning application types you will need to pay a fee.

The Planning Portal has a fee calculator.

This will help you calculate the fee you’ll need to pay.

Depending on what you are applying for, you may also need to pay a fee to Legal Services to cover the cost of drafting a planning obligation (such as a S106 agreement or a unilateral undertaking). 

Find out more about planning obligations

Can I submit a paper copy of my planning application?

It is best to submit and pay via the Planning Portal. If you do choose to submit a paper copy of your application:

• we will only need one copy
• it will take us longer to process it manually
• this needs to be sent to Seaclose Office.
• you must call us on 01983 821000 to pay your fee over the phone

More planning permission application information

Alternative electronic payment formats may cause delays in validating your application.

The information you submit will be available online, unless you ask us not to publish it. To submit sensitive information to support your application, you can email this to your case officer. You can explain to them why it should not be available online.

More information about how we use and store your information on our privacy notice page.

Validation

When we receive a planning application, we will

• check that all the required information has been submitted
• check that the right fee has been paid if there is one

What is needed for a planning application to be valid?

1. A completed application form.
2. It must meet the Government’s national validation requirements
3. The correct application fee.
4. Our local validation requirements must be met.

We may ask for more information to help us determine the application. We will ask for this as soon as possible, but it may be requested at any time.

Local validation requirements

Some local validation requirements will depend on whether the application is for land that is designated or protected. You can check whether your site is within, or close to, a designation under the Core Strategy Island Plan map.

Download and read our Local Validation Requirements (PDF, 85KB)

It is important to know that

• any plans or drawings must be drawn to an identified metric scale (showing a scale bar/ruler) and in the case of location and block plans, must show the direction of north
• for all planning proposals relating to householder development, plans should be submitted at a size no greater than A3
• the site of the proposed development must be outlined in red including site access arrangements and associated visibility splays
• any applications for non-material minor amendments to an approved development should include information in the form of a covering letter listing the proposed changes to the approved scheme

Consideration

Once your application has been validated, we will

1. Write to you to confirm who the case officer for your application is and when you can expect a decision by.
2. Make your application available to view online.
3. Advertise your application in the local press and this will start the statutory consultation for your application.
4. Place a site notice near the site, if required.
5. Begin assessing your application.

We may ask for more information. This information would be needed to determine the application. This will depend on the

• specifics of the application
• site
• potential impacts of the proposal

Decision

The case officer will make a recommendation whether the application should be approved or refused, and they will do this by:

1. Assessing all the information submitted to us by the applicant.
2. Consider all the comments submitted to us about the application.
3. Judging if the application complies with adopted relevant planning policies. 
4. Balancing any competing issues and the weight to give them.
5. Discussing the issues with colleagues.

The recommendation will then be agreed by management.

Depending on the nature of the application, the decision will either be made by:

1. Planning Officers or
2. the Planning Committee

The majority of applications are determined by Officers and will only be considered by the Planning Committee when they meet the requirements set out in the Code of Practice for Members and Officers dealing with planning matters.