Planning pre-application advice for running a business from home

We offer a pre-application enquiry service if you want to run a business from home, which we strongly recommend you use before submitting your planning application.

We'll give you specialist advice and determine whether the work you're proposing would be permitted development or would need planning permission. Our Building Control officer will also give you advice about their requirements. 

We'll send you confirmation of the advice we give, which will be particularly useful if you ever sell your property. Confirmation that you've had the necessary approval for any alterations is often requested as part of the sale.

You can apply for the service using our online form below. 

Before you apply

There's a charge for the service; see the 'how to pay' tab for details. If you're applying for more than one development, we'll only charge you once.

To apply for this service you need to agree with the following statements:

  • you're enquiring about a property or site in the Barnsley borough; and 
  • you're requesting this service for yourself, or on behalf of someone who has given you their permission.

If the property is, or was once, owned by Berneslai Homes, you'll need to ask their permission. Write to: Berneslai Homes, PO Box 627, Barnsley S70 9FZ.

You must upload the documents listed in the 'what you need' tab along with your application.  

Please also note:

  • the advice we give doesn't count as a formal response and doesn't affect any future decisions on planning permission.
  • our response will be based on the information you submit. We can't be held responsible for any problems resulting from inaccurate information.
  • if we advise you that planning permission isn't required, you might still need to get Building Control approval.

We'll only use personal information for the services we provide to you. You can find more in our privacy policy.

Terms and conditions

Pre-application advice given by us should not be classed as a formal decision about future planning applications. Views or opinions expressed are given in good faith, based on the policies and site characteristics at that time and to the best of our ability, without prejudice to the formal consideration of the planning application.

Little or no weight will be given to the pre-application advice provided for applications submitted more than three years after the advice was issued.

The application needs to undergo consultation with the public and interested parties which will also be taken into account when the application is determined by us. We cannot give guarantees about the final decision that will be made on your planning or related applications. However, we will consider the advice note when making a decision on future planning related applications.

What you need

You need to upload measurements and a sketch plan of your proposed works. You should use our customer guidance and example sketch plans to help you gather the information you need to use this service.

Each document you upload cannot be larger than 15MB. Your combined documents must not exceed 75MB in total. You can upload several documents at the same time. If any of your documents are bigger than 15MB or you need to send more than 75MB in total you can either:

  • Send them via email to developmentmanagement@barnsley.gov.uk. You should clearly mark the site address in each email title. You can't email documents that are larger than 100MB file size. If your documents are bigger than this then split them over multiple emails.
  • Save them to a CD or submit them on paper by dropping them at one of our offices. You can also send them to Barnsley Council, PO Box 634, Barnsley, S70 9GG. Clearly mark the CD or plans with the site address and the name of our service - Planning and Building Control. Please note, we cannot accept .exe or zip files on CD's.

When you fill in our online form you should indicate that your documents have been submitted separately if you don't upload them as part of your application. 

How to pay

We charge £70 (including VAT) for this service. 

You need to pay for this via our online application form before we can set up a meeting or provide advice. 

If you need a VAT receipt please provide your email address in your application.

What happens next

When we receive your online application, payment and supporting documents we'll aim to contact you within 28 days.

If we don’t have enough information we may ask you to send through more before we can process your request.