Pre-application advice full guidance
Pre-application planning advice charging schedule and additional guidance
The Isle of Wight Council as local planning authority (LPA) provides a discretionary pre-application service for those who wish to seek advice on planning matters prior to submitting a formal planning application. In line with the National Planning Policy Framework the council encourages those looking to submit an application to seek advice at the earliest possible opportunity.
This advice aims to give an applicant a better understanding of the likely issues that will need to be addressed through a planning application, the kind of information that is likely to be required through the process and whether the general principle of the proposed would be acceptable. In turn this should lead to a smoother and quicker process once formally submitted.
How to request pre-application advice
To request pre-application advice, you can follow the steps on the pre-application advice page
How much will it cost?
Pre-application advice fees and charges
What are the different application types?
| Householder | Alterations/extensions to a single property/house, including works within the boundaries, excluding annexes. |
| Minor | 1 – 9 dwellings, buildings up to 1000m2 in floorspace, change of use, adverts etc. |
| Major | 10 – 99 dwellings, buildings over 1000m2 in floorspace but below 4999m2 or the site area of less than 2 hectares. |
| Large major | 100 + dwellings and 5,000+ floorspace or the site is 2 hectares or more. |
Understanding the request form
The pre-application planning advice request form will need to be completed for the LPA to be able to process your request. The below provides summary advice on the nature of information required within each section, as they appear in the form.
Note - the level if advice given by the LPA can only be commensurate to the information you provide. The more detailed the proposal the more thorough and robust the response can be.
Your details
This section will be automatically populated using the information you have provided to create your Isle of Wight Council my Account.
Are you the applicant or an agent?
If you are the applicant select ‘Applicant’ and you will then be able to move onto the next question. If you are submitting the enquiry on behalf of someone else select ‘Agent’ and you will then be asked to provide the applicants details.
Type of development
There are four different application types, depending on the scale and nature of the proposal. These are: Householder, Minor, Major and Large major. Definitions of these are set out above.
What service level are you requesting?
| Bronze: | If you select a bronze service you would receive a written response based on a desk-based assessment of the information you have provided as part of your request. |
| Silver: | If you select a silver service a meeting at the Isle of Wight Council planning office, would be followed by a written response. The assessment would be based on the information you have provided as part of your request or at the meeting. |
| Gold: | If you select a gold service a site visit, either accompanied or not depending on your preference, would be followed by a written response. |
| Platinum: | If you select a platinum service you would be proposing to enter into a Planning Performance Agreement with the Isle of Wight Council. A planning performance agreement is a project management tool which can be used to agree timescales, actions and resources for handling particular applications. |
Is the proposed application to improve accessibility, safety, health or comfort for disabled people in their own home?
If the proposal is to provide improvements for a disabled person in their own home, please select yes. If this is not the intention of the application, please select no.
Site Address
This section will only appear if you have selected that the site address is different from your details, and if it does appear please provide details of the location of the site.
Is the property listed?
To help us process your request we need to understand whether you think the property to which your request relates is listed.
If you do not know the answer to this question visit Historic England to find out
Does the property have an Article 4 Direction served upon it?
An Article 4 Direction removes permitted development rights for an area. The rights removed will be dependent on the individual Direction. If you are unsure, select ‘Don’t Know’.
Description of the Proposal
Please provide us with a brief description of what your proposal is. This should be short such details as “Single storey extension” or “5 dwellings” will be sufficient. This box has a limit on the number of characters, so should not be used to explain your proposal in full. If necessary, you can provide a more detailed description of your proposal and upload this as a separate document.
Supporting Documentation
This section provides advice and details on what you need to submit with your enquiry, to enable us to respond as fully as possible. You will need to submit a location plan as a minimum for your pre-planning request to be considered.
Freedom of Information Act (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIA)
Read this section carefully, as it advises on what information will be made available to the public if requested.
Uploading Documents
The system will require you to upload at least a location plan before you are able to submit your request. This ensures that there is no confusion about where the site is, and you receive information on the correct site area. The site should be outlined on any location plan so that we know the land area. The more plans/information you submit the more detailed guidance we can provide.
Payment
The cost of the pre-application request will be dependant on the nature of service level you have requested (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum). The system will automatically calculate this figure based on your selected development type and service level. Please be aware that you will not be able to submit your request until a payment has been made.
What happens after your request is submitted?
Once your request has been submitted online it will be checked and either validated and allocated to an officer or you will receive an e-mail requesting additional information or payment. This process will take around three working days. You will be able to view and amend your submitted request from within your myAccount.
If you have requested a written desk-based response; you will receive this within 20 working days. If we think we have sufficient information we need to provide a response we are unlikely to contact you in this time.
If you have requested a meeting; the allocated officer will contact you within three working days of receiving your request to agree a mutually convenient time and date for a meeting, which will take place at the Planning Office. A written response will be provided within 20 working days of the meeting.
If you have requested a site visit; the allocated officer will contact you within three working days of receiving your request to agree a mutually convenient time and date for the visit, which can either be accompanied or undertaken by the officer alone. A written response will be provided within 20 working days of the site visit.
What if you do not agree with the advice?
The response your pre-application advice request is advice and are provided without prejudice to any formal decision that may be given should a planning application be submitted. If you disagree with the response your opportunity to test and challenge the LPA’s advice is through submitting your proposal as a formal planning application.
If, however, you are dissatisfied with a procedural aspect of the advice, such as the time taken to receive a response contact the service