The stages of the planning permission process and the timescales involved are explained below. 

Applying for planning permission

Before submitting an application for planning permission, you may want to use our pre-application planning advice service, where we can give you advice on your proposals.

When you're ready to submit your application, you can apply for planning permission online or by completing a paper application form.

Our supplementary planning documents contain useful advice when you're applying for planning permission. We use these to help us make decisions on planning applications, alongside the Local Plan.

Notifying land owners

If necessary, you'll need to serve notice on existing landowners or tenants at the same time you submit your planning application. You can use the section 66 form to serve notice.

Validating your application 

We'll register your planning application when we receive it. We'll check we have all the information we need, then write to you and tell you the name of the person who'll be dealing with your application. We'll also tell you whether the decision on your application will be delegated or referred to the Planning Regulatory Board. We aim to do this within five working days. You can read more about decisions further down this page.

Depending on the type of planning application you've submitted, we'll use national validation requirements and local validation requirements to check you've sent everything you need.

Invalid applications

If your application is incomplete, we'll contact you within five to 10 working days to tell you what additional information we need to validate it. Once we've received the extra information, we'll validate your application.

Publicising your application

Planning applications aren't confidential. By law we have to make information about them available to the public on our website. We do this by publishing them on Planning Explorer, where you can see current or past planning applications. We publicise applications within 10 working days of them being validated.

Some applications may be advertised in the local press. Applications may also be publicised by either a notice displayed near the site, or by individual letters to the occupiers of the adjoining land/property. 

Anyone can make a comment on a planning application. They don't need to be invited to do so. Anyone wanting to comment on a planning application should do so within 21 days of the date of publicity.

Consultations

On many applications we often have to consult other council services and outside bodies. This could be on matters such as road safety, access, and environmental issues. Consultees also have 21 days in which to respond (consultation within 10 working days, with 21 days to respond).

Examination and site inspection

We visit all application sites to check the information contained in the application and take photographs. If there's a conflict between your application and relevant local or national planning policies, we'll seek amendments where it's considered applicable. We'll usually provide guidance on what's acceptable within three weeks.

Assessment

We'll assess your application against relevant national and local planning policies and any supplementary planning guidance. We'll also take into account responses from consultees and any public comments before determining the outcome of the application.

If you need to change your submission at any time during the application process, you should contact the relevant case officer who will then advise you how to do this.

Following consultation and publicity, the assessment of your application usually happens within six weeks.

Decision

Decisions on planning applications are made in one of two ways: delegated or by the Planning Regulatory Board.

Delegated decisions

To speed up planning applications, we're authorised to grant permission for a wide range of less complex planning applications which are consistent with our policy and guidance. This is irrespective of whether objections from neighbours have been received.

Delegated decisions are usually made within eight weeks. Over 90% of decisions are made this way.

Planning Regulatory Board decisions

The Planning Regulatory Board is a board of councillors who meet once a month to consider the larger or more controversial planning applications. The public may also attend to watch the meeting. Subject to the 'right to speak', a representative, supporter or objector may address the board. You can see a calendar of Planning Regulatory Board meetings.

Decisions on major applications are usually made within three months.

Notification of the decision

We'll send you a formal written notice of the decision to grant or refuse your planning application. We'll notify you within two days of the decision, unless alterations or legal agreements are necessary. We'll also publish the decision on Planning Explorer and inform anyone making representations of the decision.

Permission granted with conditions

Planning permission may be granted subject to conditions which must be complied with. These conditions and terms must be met in full and at the appropriate time. We can take enforcement action if you don't comply with the conditions and legal agreements.

You need to apply for us to discharge planning conditions, and a fee is payable for this. Read more about the fee and applying to discharge conditions.

Appeals

If your application is refused or you're unhappy with the conditions applied to its approval, you can submit an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. Details of the appeal process are attached at the back of the decision notice. Any appeal must be made within six months of the decision being made.