Pre-planning application guidance

Why use the pre-planning application service?

Early discussion can assist in achieving the best outcome for your application and the surrounding area.

To provide you at an early stage with information about planning considerations, risks and issues around your proposal and how you may overcome them.

To provide you with information on any financial contributions or community benefits that may be applicable

It may speed up processing of any subsequent planning application.

This service is chargeable, and the fees are set by Welsh Government.

Pre-planning application services we offer?

As of 16 March 2016 the process is statutory and we offer two levels of service:

Statutory pre-planning application advice service (required by Welsh Government)
Additional service provided by us.

Joint pre-application planning and SuDS application

If your development exceeds more than one house, or the construction is greater than 100m2 sustainable drainage is required.

As part of our commitment to improve services we are offering a joint pre-application service for planning permission and SuDS (sustainable drainage systems)l to speed up the process, and assist in achieving the best outcome for your application.

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Apply for pre-planning application advice - Statutory

The more information that can be provided, the more accurate and helpful our response can be.

This will enable us to provide a written response to all valid enquiries and as a minimum we will aim to provide the following:

relevant planning history of the site
relevant development plan policies against which the development proposal will be assessed
relevant supplementary planning guidance
any other material planning considerations
an initial assessment of the proposed development, based on the information above
check any Welsh Water sewers that may in in the vicinity

As well as whether any Section 106 or Community Infrastructure Levy contributions are likely to be sought, along with an indication of the scope and amount of those contributions, details of any documents and particulars, that would be required for a subsequent application to be a valid application.

On complex issues be prepared to seek private professional help – our service is not intended to be an alternative to employing professional consultants.

To complete a pre-planning application advice form, please ensure you include a site location plan, any additional supporting information and the relevant fee.

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Apply for pre-planning application advice - additional services

The additional services will only be provided in addition to the statutory service ie. It will not be possible to have the additional services alone.

This service includes:

the consultation of any statutory or any other consultees
any meetings
a visit to the site by the case officer
advice about the information needed to make an application valid on submission.

You will need to complete a pre-planning application advice form, ensuring that you complete the additional service request fees section.

The cost of this service will have the additional charge below added onto the relevant fee.

Service	Fee (VAT will be charged on this element of the fee)
Consult statutory and non-statutory consultees within Caerphilly County Borough Council	30% of the statutory fee + VAT for the development type proposed
Meetings with officers on site or at an office	30% of the statutory fee + VAT for the development type proposed for each meeting
Site visit by the case officer	30% of the statutory fee + VAT for the development type proposed (this will not be charged separately if a meeting is held on site with the case officer)
Advice on the information needed to make an application valid on submission	30% + VAT of the statutory fee for the development type proposed

How long will it take?

We will try to respond within 21 working days for a valid statutory pre-planning application.

For the additional service we will respond within 42 working days.

If your proposal is more complex, we will let you know if it will take us longer to respond.

Other Services we offer

Service	Fee
Providing the planning history of a site:
Householder (involving no more than one dwelling)	£60.90 (inclusive of VAT)
Other Development	£152.25 (inclusive of VAT)
Advising whether a particular development has had its permitted development rights removed by condition	£60.90 (inclusive of VAT)
Advice on whether conditions have been discharged:
Householder (involving no more than one dwelling)	£60.90 (inclusive of VAT)
Other Development	£152.25 (inclusive of VAT)
Query as to whether a development requires planning permission or whether development is lawful	If you are unsure whether your project would need permission or if it is Lawful. We recommend that you submit an application for a Certificate of Lawfulness.
Query as to whether a childminding business is acceptable at a residential property.	Free informal verbal advice given based on the information submitted as part of the Child Minding Questionnaire Form.

Note: All fees are non-refundable, and are in addition to the normal planning applications fees. Multiple requests will be charged individually. If the fee is not paid within 15 works days after a reminder, no response will be given.

Please send your enquiry with any relevant documents and fee by post to:
Head of Regeneration and Planning
Caerphilly County Borough Council
Tredomen House
Tredomen Park
Ystrad Mynach
CF82 7WF
or email planning@caerphilly.gov.uk.

Additional Services for Conservation

For listed building you will need to complete a specific conservation pre-planning application advice form – Conservation services (NOTE THIS WILL BE ONLINE) NICE CTA ensuring that you complete the Additional Service request.

Listed building consent

Service	Fee
Householder	£126.00 (inclusive of VAT)
Floorspace < 999m2	£262.50 (inclusive of VAT)
Floorspace 1000m2 – 1999m2	£630.00 (inclusive of VAT)
Floorspace > 1999m2	£1050.00 (inclusive of VAT)
A meeting with an officer on site or at the office would incur an additional charge equivalent to 30% of the standard charge.

Please note: If you are carrying out a scheme that requires street naming, we would encourage you to base any names on historic names for the area where the development is taking place. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales has launched a new web service which aims to preserve and highlight the importance of the historic place names of Wales.

Confidentiality of information

Information related to pre-application discussions may be subject to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

The Act and the Regulations provide for some exemptions from the need to disclose commercially sensitive information and in cases where applicants consider that specific information is exempt from the requirements of the Act or the Regulations, the justification for their position should be provided to the Local Planning Authority (LPA).