Submitting your application

The fastest way to submit your application is through the Planning Portal.

Apply online 

Make sure you follow our validation requirements when you submit your application.

Your information 

Your information will be published online. This includes your:

  • name
  • address

It does not include your:

  • signature
  • email address
  • phone numbers

Please do not include any information in your application that you do not want published.

If you have an agent applying on your behalf please make sure you tell them what information to include. Your name and address can be given as ‘C/O Agent’ if you prefer.

Please see our full privacy notice for further information.

The application process

1. Receipt of a planning application

Once you submit an application and we have received the relevant validation information, the application will be assigned to a case officer. 

You or your agent (if you have one) will get an acknowledgement email with: 

  • the name of the case officer 
  • the date we will make a decision by

We'll usually ask you to provide current photographs of the site and the surroundings. 

Timescales

The type of application you make determines how it is processed and when a decision is made. Usually it takes 8 weeks for minor developments and 13 weeks for major developments.

2. Consulting on a planning application

After we validate a planning application there may be a statutory 21 day consultation process. This is so that interested parties (such as neighbours or statutory consultees like Transport for London) can review a planning application for any risks or impact on the surrounding area.

We'll send the application by letter to adjoining neighbours. Where it’s appropriate we may also use a site notice, an advert in local papers, or a combination of these.

3. Assessing a planning application

Once the consultation period has ended, the case officer will review the application. They may also visit the site, if necessary. 

They will make an assessment of the site characteristics and what effect the application would have on the surrounding area. The case officer will consider: 

  • planning legislation
  • the Council’s Local Plan policies
  • Government guidance
  • neighbour/interested party comments 
  • any recent decisions or appeal decisions

4. Amendments to planning applications 

We'll review your application as you submit it. This means we will only consider the information you include in your application. We recommend getting advice before you apply. If you do not, you should make sure you consider any relevant planning policy and guidance available.

If you got pre-application advice, we may ask you to make changes (or amendments) to your application to make it acceptable.

Case officers will:

  • not negotiate on details if the development is considered unacceptable in principle
  • only request or invite minor amendments that can be clearly identified and defined. They will not start open-ended negotiations, or where subsequent revisions are likely to become necessary
  • ask for changes that reduce the impact of the development, where re-consultation will generally not be necessary. In limited circumstances, at the discretion of officers, a change requiring re-consultation may be sought
  • clearly set out what change needs to be made, and explain why that change is necessary
  • set a suitable time limit for submitting the amended plans and request an extension of time for determining the application after if necessary
  • provide one opportunity for amendments before reaching a decision

Making a decision

We make decisions about planning applications in 2 ways:

Powers delegated by Councillors 

Councillors can give case officers powers to make a decision. This means they can make a decision if the development falls within certain sizes or types. 

In these cases, the case officer will prepare a report on the application, with a recommendation on whether to approve or refuse it. A senior officer then considers and agrees to the recommendation, if appropriate. 

Most applications are considered in this way.

Planning Committee meetings 

Some applications need to be discussed with the Chair of the Planning Committee to decide if a delegated decision or Planning Committee is appropriate. The Planning Committee generally deals with strategic applications.

Only certain applications can be considered by a Planning Committee. These include:

  • Full
  • s73
  • Outline
  • Hybrid 
  • Permission-in-Principle
  • Listed Building Consent

If an application is going to be discussed at a Planning Committee, Councillors will get a report which is published in the meeting's agenda. 

The report has a recommendation on whether to approve or refuse the application and the reasons why. Councillors can accept the recommendation or decide to take a different decision if they have a good planning reason to do so.

If an application is scheduled to be considered by the Committee, an email will go to:

  • the applicant or their agent
  • anyone who made a representation about the application 

The meeting is open to the public (including applicants, agents, supporters and objectors). People with an interest in an application can apply to speak at the meeting. Details of how to do this will be in the email.

Being notified of a decision

After a decision is made, a formal decision notice confirming the decision will be sent to the agent (or applicant if there is no agent). 

  • If the application is refused, the reasons will be given and the appeal process explained
  • If the application is approved it may have 'conditions' that you need to comply with. Conditions may need to be met before work begins on site, during construction works, or after the development is completed. Some conditions will also need to be 'discharged' (this will be detailed in the condition wording). These types of planning applications will require a follow-up application to be submitted

A copy of the decision notice will also be published online on the application record. We do not send a copy of the decision notice to neighbours or interested parties.

An exception to this is larger house extensions which need prior approval. In these cases we'll consult immediate neighbours through a consultation scheme. If no objection are made from neighbours, the permission to go ahead with the larger house extension will be stated as 'prior approval not required' on the online application record