What additional information will you need to decide my planning application ?
The actual information that we need to assess an application varies from case to case. The more complex or unusual your proposal the more likely that we will need thorough details from you in order to understand what is intended and what planning issues may arise.

We are committed to delivering a service which gives both you and the community a clear and timely decision. We also appreciate that you are the best person to explain what you intend and to clarify any unclear aspects of your proposal.

As part of our pre-application advice service we will try to give you clear guidance about the sort of information we will need to process your application and the level of detail we usually expect from applicants. We understand that this may sometimes be difficult if your project is at an early stage or is dependant upon other factors but we will work with you through our pre-application advice service to focus your consideration on the key questions you need to answer.

We strongly suggest that you allow yourself plenty of time to follow our pre-application process and to get any relevant information together. If you have any particular time constraints on your project that may affect the time it takes you to get application information together or a particular timescale in which you would like the application to progress please let us know in advance. The planning process has a number of statutory formalities to it and we would ask you to be aware of the realistic limits upon our decision making procedures. In particular you need to be aware that some applications have to be considered at our planning committees and it can be very difficult for us to predict timescales with certainty if an application has to be reported to committee.

When submitting an application please bear in mind that we will normally need to pass a copy of your documentation to our consultees so that they can advise us. If your application is unclear about important technical issues then this can lead consultees to express concerns and can then cause delay or uncertainty.

You should also bear in mind that your application will have to be publicised, normally with a site notice and by consultation with the Parish Council, and that any lack of clarity or ambiguity in the information you provide may lead members of the public or the Parish Council to express concerns to us. We would recommend that you engage with our pre-aplication advice service because we believe that this is an effective way to minimise the risk of public / parish confusion or uncertainty although we recognise that there is no foolproof way to guarantee that.

I have received a direction for more information in relation to my planning application – what does this mean?
If we believe that we need you to give us more information, plans and drawings to enable us to properly decide your application we can direct you to provide this.

To help us make clear and timely decisions and to avoid any uncertainty within the community we will usually ask you to provide this information within 14 days of our direction. If you need extra time you should contact us within 7 days of receipt of our direction. In asking for extra time please bear in mind that, once we receive this additional information or plans, we may have to carry out further consultation. This means that we would have to allow consultees a reasonable period to respond – typically 21 days – and this would introduce unwelcome delay and uncertainty into the process especially if our consultees express some concerns about the additional information.

If you do not provide the information within the timescale set down in the direction, or any extra time we agree with you, we will normally declare your application invalid. If you subsequently provide the information we may then validate your application afresh.

In the past we have found that some of our requests for information have gone unanswered for a very long time. This can cause administrative problems and generate some uncertainty for communities affected by development proposals. We would therefore ask you to work with us to resolve any outstanding requests for information without undue delay. If you do not positively take steps to help us resolve these matters within a reasonable period of time then we will review the application documentation and, if appropriate, finally dispose of it from our planning Register.

What is “final disposal” from the planning register ?
Final disposal is an administrative procedure by which we can remove long outstanding planning applications from the public register of planning applications.

This procedure tends to be used where an applicant has been asked to provide additional information but has failed to do so within a reasonable timescale. In some exceptional cases we may finally dispose of a planning application which required a Section 106 legal agreement before planning permission could be granted but the applicant has failed to take positive steps to progress that within a reasonable period of time.

We only exercise this power sparingly having regard to the need for administrative efficiency and certainty for the community. There is no right of appeal against final disposal.