To submit a planning application, including the fee, please use the online Planning Portal.
If you're not using the online Planning Portal and choose to submit your application by post or email, you will need to pay the planning application fee and an extra £90 administration fee before your application can be accepted.
Requirements
You will need to submit all the relevant information in the national validation requirements as well as relevant information in our local validation requirements:
- Local list validation requirements – development to single family dwellings (PDF, 266.85 KB) – updated as of 6 November 2023
- Local list validation requirements – major and minor development (PDF, 557.15 KB) – updated as of 14 October 2024
You will need to provide the required information for your application to be valid, or submit an Article 12 notice.
If you do not provide the information required within 21 days of submission and your application is therefore withdrawn as invalid, we will retain an administration fee to cover our costs. These are:
- householder/Certificate of Lawful Use or development applications – £55
- minor and other development applications – £100
- major development applications – £200
Before starting, make sure you have:
- your existing and proposed drawings available as pdfs
- a 1:1250 scale site location plan with the site outlined in red (you can purchase this through planning portal)
- any statements or additional information as PDFs (below 10Mb)
- details of the property owner, if this is not you. This includes other owners or leaseholders if your property is a flat, or adjoining property owners or leaseholders if you are building across the property boundary.
- a credit or debit card to pay the fee
Planning application fee
Most planning applications need to be accompanied by a fee. The fees are set by central government. View the Planning Portal's fee calculator or you can use the fee schedule (PDF). You must pay your fee when you complete your application through the Planning Portal, so that your application is received by our Planning Team. Applications received without a fee (unless exempt), will be returned without review.
Application types not currently available online
View paper versions of forms online.
Common planning queries
Highway safety impact assessment
For minor developments (creating new residential or commercial units, changes of use or commercial/community/industrial extensions), you will need to submit a Highway Safety Impact Assessment proforma (XLSM, 23.6 KB). For more guidance, please see the local list validation requirements – major and minor development, above.
Vehicular crossovers and dropped kerbs
There are 2 different application processes. The first is planning permission which may or may not be required, and the second is Highways consent. View information for these applications.
If you need to make a planning application, you can do so on the Planning Portal. Select the householder application type if your application is to a residential property, or a full planning application if the property is commercial or other non-domestic use.
Changing the use of a premises
You may not always need planning permission to change the use of your premises where the change is for a similar type of use. For example, a green grocer's can be changed to a clothes shop without needing planning permission.
Find more information about use classes.
The Local Planning Authority is not able to confirm whether the current use of a property is authorised. If you think the use of the premises is lawful and want confirmation, you will need to submit an application for a certificate of lawful development.
Before you negotiate a lease or buy a commercial property, it’s always worth considering whether you need to obtain planning permission for your intended use. You also need to remember that planning applications may take 8 weeks or longer to be decided.
Change of use to a house in multiple occupation
If you’re considering changing a residential dwelling (in use class C3) to a house in multiple occupation (HMO) (in use class C4), you will need to apply for planning permission. This is because we have withdrawn permitted development rights for this type of development through an Article 4 Direction (PDF, 208.63 KB).
In addition to a planning application, you will also need to apply for a licence to operate as an HMO. In 2020, the council introduced an additional HMO licensing scheme. This scheme ends on 31 August 2025, and our Private Rented Housing team are seeking views on a further borough-wide additional HMO property licensing scheme. Submit your views by 7 October 2024.
Working from home
Some types of work or business undertaken at home will need to be considered by the planning department. If the overall character of your home will change because of business activities, you will need to apply for a full planning application.
We must consider whether:
- your home will still be used mainly as private residence
- your business will result in a marked increase in traffic or people, or involve any activities unusual in a residential area
- it will cause noise and disturbance
If you think your proposed change will not alter the overall character of your home and will not need planning permission, we recommend you submit an application for a certificate of lawful development.
Waste and recycling storage guidance for developers
View our Household recycling and waste planning guidance (PDF, 524.15 KB) for both construction of new developments and refurbishment or development of existing ones.
See our waste capacity calculator (XLSX, 40.86 KB) for new developments.
Building work on a planning decision that is not in your name
Planning permission is linked to the land and not the applicant, but you must check any conditions on a decision notice to make sure it does not restrict use to a named person.
If conditions do not restrict the permission to a named person, land or buildings can be sold or let where planning permission has been granted and the new owner can start the works.
All planning applications will appear as entries on the land registry search and you may be able to view decisions using our online planning register.