Planning applications for householders

Once we receive your application, it will go through the following process: 

1. Validation - we check your application against validation requirements. If your application is invalid, we will tell you the reasons why and explain what information is required to validate your application. We aim to validate your application within 5 days of receiving it. If it is taking us a little longer to check applications, you will receive an email from the Business Support Team.
    
2. Registration - once your application is valid, we will let you know the date your application was registered, contact details of the planning case officer and the date a decision is likely to be made. Your application will be given a planning reference and will be added to our planning search. We aim to deal with each application within the statutory time limits:
   - minor applications should be decided within 8 weeks
   - major applications should be decided within 13 weeks 
   - applications with an environmental statement should be decided within 16 weeks 
    
3. Consultation - once your application is registered, consultation letters are sent to nearby residents and we may put up a notice around your development site. Depending on the application type or planning constraints on site we may also need to consult other third party organisations. Our Statement of Community Involvement sets out how we consult and publicise depending on the type and location of development. The formal consultation period will normally last for 21 days. This may be extended if further consultations are sent.
    
4. Decision - after the consultation has been completed, the planning case officer will write a report taking into account local planning policies and views of local residents and organisations. The case officer will then make a recommendation to grant (with or without conditions) or refuse the planning application. The decision is either made at this stage by managers in the development management team under delegated powers, or the application is referred to area planning sub-committee or Planning Committee for a decision.

More information 

Planning portal: Decision making process