It can be helpful for you to seek our written advice before making a planning application. This can help you overcome potential difficulties and make sure your application deals with all the important planning considerations. This could involve sending us your proposals for comment and it may also involve a meeting with an officer.
You may also find it helpful to get advice from an independent planning specialist when drawing up your scheme. People who regularly prepare planning applications have the experience and expertise that can help make sure your scheme has the best chance of being granted planning permission.
The time and effort spent in preparing your scheme and discussing with us is more likely to result in a good quality and acceptable development as well as help us process your scheme more quickly.
This is a written advice service and it is not available from the Planning Advice Officer although they will accept your documents at the desk and provide guidance as to the information we need from you. This service is available to both applicants and agents. Your enquiry and cheque payment (if applicable) may be sent to:
Cheques should be made payable to "Thurrock Council".
When any request is received it will be acknowledged and you will be given the timescale for a reply together with the name and contact details of the case officer.
Advice will be provided free of charge. However you should send the following information so that we can offer the best advice:
We aim to provide a reply within 10 working days.
Advice we provide will be charged at £300 plus VAT and will include one meeting if this is necessary. Your cheque payment should be made with your request for advice and we will need to be satisfied that the payment has cleared before meeting with you or providing a written response.
The following are minor developments for which we will charge for advice:
You will need to provide us with enough information about the site and your scheme to be clear about what you propose and to help us decide who else will be consulted. This will normally include:
If insufficient information is provided we will let you know so that you can send it to us before we start work. We aim to provide a reply within 15 working days.
Advice we provide will be charged at £600 plus VAT and will include one meeting if this is necessary. Your cheque payment should be made with your request for advice and we will need to be satisfied that the payment has cleared before meeting with you or providing a written response.
You will need to provide us with enough information about the site and your scheme to be clear about what you propose and to help us decide who else will be consulted. This will normally include:
If insufficient information is provided we will let you know so that you can send it to us before we start work. We aim to provide a reply within 28 working days.
The issues we will consider for both minor and major developments include:
Large-scale strategic developments such as those that will be processed by the Infrastructure Planning Commission may require a number of meetings and the provision of extensive information. In these circumstances the council will negotiate a planning performance agreement that will set out fees and other arrangements as necessary.
The following forms are to be used when requesting pre-application advice:
In providing a pre-application advice service it should be understood that the advice given will not bind the Council to making any particular decision and that the views expressed are those of the case officer only. The advice will only be applicable so long as there is no change in policy or other relevant circumstances.
01375 652652
01375 652359
