Pre-application advice for historic buildings and places

We offer expert advice about getting consent to alter, extend or demolish historic buildings and places.

This advice covers listed buildings, work in conservation areas or to other heritage sites.

People using this service may have already consulted an architect or builder and could be ready to submit their applications. They may also just need guidance on what's possible. As part of the service we can check over your application and other documents.

Our advice comes in a short written document. It covers how the planning authority may respond to any application. They'll keep in mind the specific character of the building, area or site.

If you're thinking about a development and your property or site is in the Barnsley borough.  Then you can apply for this service. If a meeting's required, it can take place at our offices in Barnsley town centre or on site. We charge a fee to cover our costs. 

We also give pre-application advice on extending or altering your property. We also offer pre-application advice for major and minor developments.

Before you begin

We need to make sure you’re eligible for this service. Only start your application if you're able to confirm:

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

We'll only use personal details for the services we provide to you. You can find out more in our privacy policy. If you need a VAT receipt you'll need to provide an email address in your application.

Terms and conditions

Advice given by us for pre-application enquiries does not constitute a formal response. Nor does it constitute our decision about future planning consents.

Views or opinions expressed are given in good faith and to the best of ability. It's given without prejudice to the formal planning application. The application needs to undergo consultation with the public and interested parties. It'll 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. We'll also consider changes in circumstances and details that could alter the original position.

Little or no weight will be given to our pre-application advice when it's over three years old.  

What you need

To help us identify relevant planning policies you need to supply:

  • a location plan (to the scale of 1:2500)
  • a layout plan (to the scale of 1:500)
  • full details of the existing site or buildings
  • a full description of the proposal, with drawings

If you don’t provide these details your application may be delayed. 

You can upload copies of your plans while you’re filling in the online form. You can't upload more than 25MB of files. If your application is larger than 25MB please save them to a CD. Then you can drop them at one of our offices. You can also send them to Barnsley Council, PO Box 634, Barnsley, S70 9GG. Please note, if you save them to a CD we cannot accept .exe or zip files in any format.

When you fill in our online form if you don't upload documents as part of your application.  Then you should explain that these have been submitted separately. When you hand in any supporting items you should clearly mark them with the site address. You should also clearly mark them 'for the attention of Planning and Building Control'.

How to pay

We charge £125 (including VAT) for this service.

You need to pay via the online form before we can provide advice.

What happens next

Once we’ve received your online application, payment and supporting documents we'll contact you within 28 days. We may visit the site or meet you face-to-face as part of the process.

The final advice will be given to you in a short written document.