Pre-application advice
Pre-application charging
We encourage you to discuss your application with us before making a submission as this usually results in the submission of high quality applications which progress through the planning process more smoothly, leading to quicker decisions and therefore saving you time and money. Pre-application advice can also help identify any significant constraints and whether/how these can be resolved.
Nottinghamshire County Council charges for the pre-application service it provides. The fee for this service depends on the scale of the development and is set out in the link below. Some advice, such as confirmation as to whether planning permission is required, will continue to be provided free of charge. Fee levels were approved by at Planning and Rights of Way Committee on 27 July 2021 and will be subject to an annual increase.
To make a payment for pre-application advice please visit our Pay a Planning Fee page.
Information required
If you decide to use our pre-application advice service, you will need to complete the pre-application advice request form and provide the following information:
- a location plan identifying the site and means of access (1:1250 or 1:2500)
- a brief description of the site including details of site ownership, what is considered to be the lawful/permitted use of the land/buildings and site topography (with photos where relevant)
- a full description of the proposal including a schedule of proposed use which should also include drawings or illustrative materials
- for minerals and waste proposals, information about the rates of mineral extraction or waste inputs per annum and proposed timescales should be included
- any additional information to help demonstrate the impact of the proposal on the surrounding area.
- you should highlight any specific matter relating to the proposed development and/or the site on which you would like specific pre-application advice.
Pre-application advice form [PDF]
Our response
Once we receive your request for pre-application advice and the appropriate fee, we will make an initial assessment of your proposal and, before we write back to you, we will usually undertake a site visit and carry out any consultations with technical consultees that we consider necessary. We are also likely to arrange a meeting with you to discuss your proposals and any feedback we receive from consultees.
- Meetings will be held in the office, on site or virtually as appropriate.
- Where meetings are to be held virtually these will conducted over Microsoft Teams. The meeting will be set up by the County Council and relevant parties invited.
Our formal response to your pre-application submission will include:
- confirmation of the information that you will need to submit with your planning application, such as the correct application forms, site location and other technical plans, ecological surveys, or transport assessments.
We will also provide you with the following advice:
- how your proposal meets current development plan policies and national guidance relevant to your proposal,
- an indication of the likely significant constraints relevant to your proposal, such as flood risk, ecology, or highway issues,
- details of the site's planning history,
- details of any consultation undertaken by us and responses from those parties. Confirmation as to whether any further pre-application consultation with other parties needs to be undertaken,
- advice on the requirements for a formal planning application, including potential legal agreements/ planning obligations and environmental and supporting statements,
- advice on which other bodies should be contacted and community engagement suggestions (please note that other consultation bodies have separate fees for their pre-application advice services – see details below),
- any other relevant information including advice about whether and how your proposals need amending before submission.
Whilst we cannot provide categoric assurances that your proposals would be successful when submitted as a planning application, we will endeavour to inform you if we consider that your proposals raise significant planning issues which we consider are unlikely to be resolved.
Response time
Responses relating to significant and major planning applications will be provided by letter or email within 20 working days of receiving all relevant information.
Responses to requests for pre-application advice on minor proposals and any other development will be made within 15 working days.
Where specialist advice is required the time frame for a response may need to be extended, this will be in accordance with a new timeframe as agreed by all parties.
Follow-up meetings
Following receipt of our pre-application advice, where a specific technical issue has been raised, it may be necessary for the applicant to consult with other consultees, such as the Environment Agency or Natural England. If the applicant wishes officers from the County Council to attend, follow up meeting charges would apply.
Disclaimer
Any advice in relation to pre-application enquiries is given by officers in good faith, without prejudice to the formal consideration of any subsequent planning application which will be subject to wider consultation and publicity and ultimately determined by the County Council.
All advice will be correct at the time given in relation to current planning policies and policy context, however this may change with local plan or national policy updates or relevant case law. If there is a significant delay between the pre-application advice and the submission of the planning application, then the most up to date planning status will need to be complied with.
The County Council will not be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage arising from or in connection with the use of the advice.
The pre-application advice given may not necessarily be exhaustive but is intended to highlight the main issues that need to be considered as part of any subsequent planning application. Once the application is submitted further information, not originally identified at the pre-application stage, may be required. Should the detail or the nature of the proposal materially change from those originally submitted, further advice should be sought prior to the submission of an application.
Do you want this pre-application advice request to be treated in confidence?
Although the County Council do not routinely publicise the details of pre-application discussions, disclosure of information regarding enquiries for pre-application advice may be requested by a third party. Subject to certain exemptions, such as commercially sensitive and confidential information, we are obliged to provide this information.
It is therefore important that you bring to the Council’s attention any information which you consider may, if disclosed, prejudice your commercial interests or would breach confidentiality. You should set out in writing the reasons why, and for what period, this information needs to remain confidential. It is then for the Council to decide whether it believes the information falls into these exempt categories if a Freedom of Information request is subsequently received.
