Guidance Notes for Completing Planning Application Forms

Important Notice:
To help us process your application more speedily, please supply a site plan and separate cheques for all planning and building control regulation submissions.

The application form contains specific national information required which must be provided.

The Council has prepared a list of local requirements in respect of information that it will require to be submitted. View or download the local requirements List.

The Council encourages the submission of applications via the Planning Portal . If you cannot submit via the planning portal website, you can alternatively post an application in to us, downloading the relevant application form from the planning portal website. For further information and guidance on how to complete an application form, please see the planning portal website. 
 

Outline Applications

Outline Applications are only appropriate if you want to erect a building(s) and wish to establish if such a development is acceptable in principle before preparing detailed drawings.

As a minimum all outline applications shall include information on:

• Use: the use or uses proposed for the development and any distinct development zones within the site identified.
• Amount of development: The amount of development proposed for each use. For example for residential development the number of proposed units and for other forms of development the proposed floor space for each use.
• Indicative access points: an area or areas in which the access point or points to the site will be situated.

In some cases, such as in Conservation Areas, you may be asked for full details at the outset. Please discuss an "outline" application with the Planning Office before submission to agree on the amount of details needed. This type of application cannot normally apply to change of use proposals.
 

Reserved Matters Applications

Reserved Matters Applications are used when an "outline" permission has been granted with "detailed matters" reserved for later consideration. The outline permission must not have expired and submitted details must accord with the outline approval including any conditions attached to the permission.
 

Reserved Matters Definitions

• Layout: the way in which buildings, routes and open spaces within the development are provided, situated and orientated in relation to each other and to buildings and spaces outside the development.
• Scale : the height, width and length of each building proposed within the development in relation to its surroundings.
• Appearance : the aspects of a building or place within the development which determine the visual impression the building or place makes, including the external built form of the development, its architecture, materials, decoration, lighting, colour and texture.
• Access : this covers the accessibility to and within the site for vehicles, cycles and pedestrians in terms of the positioning and treatment of access and circulation routes and how these fit into the surrounding access network.
• Landscaping: this is the treatment of land [other than buildings] for the purpose of enhancing or protecting the amenities of the site and the area in which it is situated and includes screening by fences, walls or other means, the planting of trees, hedges, shrubs or grass, the formation of banks, terraces or other earthworks, the laying out or provision of gardens, courts, or squares, water features, sculpture, or public art, and the provision of other amenity features.

Design and Access Statements

Shall include:

1. explain the design principles and concepts that have been applied to the following aspects of the development:
   
   Amount, layout, scale, landscaping and appearance; and
2. demonstrate the steps taken to appraise the context of the development and how the design of the development takes that context into account in relation to its proposed use and each of the aspects specified in (1) above. "Context" means the physical, social, economic and policy context of the development.
3. explain the policy adopted as to access and how policies relating to access in relevant local development documents have been taken into account;
4. state what if any consultation has been undertaken on issues relating to access to the development and what account has been taken of the outcome of any such consultation;
5. explain:
   • how any specific issues which might affect access to the development have been addressed;
   • How prospective users will be able to gain access to the development from the existing transport network;
   • Why the main points of access to the site and the layout of access routes within the site have been chosen; and
   • How features which ensure access to the development will be maintained.

Fees

You must submit the correct fee with your application - it cannot be dealt with until this has been paid. The fees are revised from time to time by the Government. For the most up-to-date fee information and guidance please visit the planning portal website, where there is also a ‘fee calculator’ available

No fee is required in some circumstances:

• where the application is for development to assist disabled people
• where a similar application by the same applicant has been refused or withdrawn or has been granted permission in the previous 12 months.

If you think this applies please discuss it with your local planning office.
 

Developer Obligations

The Council no longer makes use of its tariff based system which formed part of the Developer Contributions Supplementary Planning Document due to the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy 2010. The SPD was revoked in April 2015.

Section 106 Agreements now form the method through which the impact of development proposals are mitigated. Applicants should use the Section 106 obligation generator to provide them with an obligation figure which is fair and reasonable in scale and kind to the proposed development. This will form the starting point for negotiating a draft Section 106 agreement in order to mitigate the impact of proposed development. 

Historic tariff based deeds which have been signed will still require payment once the development has commenced on site (a material start as defined by S56(4) TCPA 1990).
 

Building Regulations

In most cases you will need to apply for Building Regulation consent as well as Planning Permission. Please telephone Building Control on 0161 342 4460 who can advise you about this.