Applying for Planning Permission

The need for Planning Permission

Generally speaking, new buildings, major alterations or enlargement of existing buildings, and changes in the use of building and land are classed as development and will normally need planning permission. Guidance on the need for planning permission can be found at the Communities and Local Government Website and the Planning Portal.

What are relevant planning issues?.  These vary with the nature of the proposal and the site, but normally would include such issues as :-

• Government Guidance and Regional Spatial Strategies
• Structure and Local Plan Policies (Local Development Framework in due course)
• Case Law and previous decisions
• Highway safety and traffic noise
• Noise disturbance, smell and fumes
• Design, appearance and layout
• Residential amenity such as privacy, overlooking and loss of light
• Effect on trees

Some issues are not relevant in reaching planning decisions.  Again they vary but normally would include:-

• Matters covered by other laws
• Property rights such as boundary or access disputes
• People's morals or motives
• Possible future development
• Loss of views
• Property values

The best advice is to talk to Development Control Staff at Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council or write to us with your query.

You should contact the Planning Advice Officer of the Development Control Section with sketch details of your proposal and a plan showing its location. The plans should be to scale and an informal opinion will be sent to you informing you if permission is required. There is a more formal procedure which can be adopted and you should contact the Development Control Section to obtain further information on this type of determination. You will normally receive a written reply within 10 working days. For house extensions, fences, accesses, satellite dishes, etc, we have a Householder Development Planning Questionnaire which can be downloaded from our website or if you contact us on 01743 281312 or email planningdevelopmentcontrol@shrewsbury.gov.uk then we will send you our householder form which asks all the relevant questions so we can offer full advice. There is no fee involved.  It is always best to obtain written advice and to retain it with your records as it could prevent problems in the future when selling the property etc. 

The Freedom of Information Act came into force on 1st January 2005 and entitles anybody to ask a public authority e.g. the Borough Council, for recorded information it keeps. Therefore your enquiry will be available for public inspection, unless you inform us that the information/issue is commercially sensitive.

The Planning Application

Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council recommends that you apply online using the Planning Portal, this national government service provides everything you need to submit a planning application to the council.
It guides you through the application process in an intelligent, straightforward, step by step way.
You can attach drawings and other documents and even pay the application fee electronically.

One of the great advantages of the Planning Portal is that it helps you to ensure that all the required forms are completed and all necessary questions are answered.
Statistics reveal that 1 in 3 paper applications is help up because they are in some way invalid, often due to a missing certificate. However only 1 in 20 electronic applications is found to be invalid.

Newe Government Legislation stated that from 6th April 2008, the standard planning application form (1APP) replaced all types of planning application forms (except applications for minerals) within England, and they are not the only legal way of submitting a planning application. The Planning Portal Forms Chooser will assist you.

If required, paper copies of the forms can be downloaded from the forms section of this website, or requested from 01743 281326 or 281327 or planningdevelopmentcontrol@shrewsbury.gov.uk, but remember that you will have to submit 3 copies of all your plans if you choose to submit on paper.

The Cost

The fees for submitting a planning application are set by the Government. They do vary but for a house extension the fee is £150 and for the erection of dwellings the fee is £335 per dwelling. There is a separate page which sets out the scale of fees.

Location Plans and Block Plans

As part of a planning application you will need to provide copies of the application site outlined in red at a scale of 1:1250 or 1:2500 and Block Plans at a scale of 1:500. 

The Planning Portal provides a facility to easily create and submit a suitable map electronically.
Alternatively if you are an agent or developer and you have your own electronic mapping license, you can attach maps that you have created.

If you are submitting on paper, suitable maps are available from the Borough Council in accordance with the Mapping Service.

The planning application process

A new planning application is first checked to ensure that it has been fully completed and that the drawings accurately show the proposal. The fee is assessed. If there are no problems and the application is complete a written acknowledgement is sent to the applicant or agent. Details of the application are then entered on to the 'planning register' for the public to inspect.

The Council has to carry out a number of consultations on each application depending on the type and complexity of the proposal. The appropriate parish council is notified and given twenty-one days to respond. The County Council Highway Department is consulted on applications where there may be a highway safety issue. In more complex or large scale cases it may be necessary to advertise the proposal and consult with other organisations, for example the Environment Agency. Neighbours are consulted on most applications where they are known and have a common boundary with the site. If it is not possible to identify neighbouring residents and their property a site notice will be displayed on or near the site.

The Planning Officer dealing with the application will inspect the site and prepare a report summarising the observations received and the planning considerations. In reaching his or her recommendation, the Officer will consider all the replies received, the compliance or otherwise of the proposal against the policies of the Local Plan, Government advice (PPG's, Directions and Circulars), Regional Spatial Strategy, the County Structure Plan, and any other relevant policies or material consideration.

A decision is then made under the Scheme of Delegation (by Senior Officers) or by the Development Control and Environmental Protection Committee. If the application goes to committee the applicant or agent and neighbours who wrote in will be notified by letter of the recommendation and date/time of the Committee meeting. The Council does allow Public Speaking at Committee where one supporter, one objector, the Parish Council and the applicant/agent (in response to an objector speaking) can address the Committee for a maximum of 3 minutes. This is on a first come basis and notification to the Council by 12.00 the day before Committee. Once a decision has been reached the applicant or agent will receive written notification of the decision as with all local residents who wrote to us.

How long does the process take?

We will aim to deal with an application within 8 weeks of a completed application (thirteen weeks for Major Applications) or sixteen weeks if it is accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement (EIA). If an application has to be determined by Committee it can sometimes take a little longer to determine, or if there are matters which have to be resolved before the application is considered to be acceptable. You can appeal against the failure of the Council to determine an application after eight weeks (thirteen weeks for Major Applications) (or sixteen weeks if an EIA is submitted) and the matter will be determined by a Planning Inspector from the Planning Inspectorate.

Visit their website at http://www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/