We can give you advice before you submit your planning application. This can help you understand any key issues your application might face and the likelihood of it being supported.
We provide written advice for all requests, providing you give us the information we need.
Fees
| Type of development | Fee for written advice only |
|---|---|
| Householder development | £112 |
| Advertisement proposals | £200 |
| Minor development: Creation of 1 additional residential house or flat, replacement of an existing residential unit, conversion of 1 property into 2 residential units, including demolition and rebuild | £750 |
| NMA or VOC query | £200 |
| Specialist advice (works to trees and TPOs) | £250 |
| Type of development | Fee for written advice and 1 formal meeting (for 1 hour virtual meeting) |
|---|---|
| Minor development: 2-9 dwellings, site area less than 0.5 hectares or up to 1000sqm of commercial/non-residential floorspace | £1,250 |
| Small major development: 10-49 dwellings or up to 5000sqm of commercial/non-residential floorspace | £2,500 |
| Large major development: 50-499 or up to 10,000sqm of commercial/non-residential floorspace | £5,000 |
| Strategic development: 500 dwellings and above or more than 10,000sqm of commercial/non-residential floorspace | PPA fee to be agreed on a case by case |
| Officer | Additional meeting request (for 1 hour virtual meeting) |
|---|---|
| Planning Officer / Senior Planning Officer | £250 |
| Planning Manager | £500 |
| Director | £700 |
| Advice from another officer included in the written response or meeting (charged per hour if it requires more intensive research) | £100 |
| Other | Fee |
|---|---|
| Do I need permission | £125 |
| Confirmation of compliance with enforcement notice | £250 |
| Confirmation of compliance with listed building consent | £250 |
| Confirmation of compliance with planning conditions | £250 |
| Informal confirmation of permitted use class (formal confirmation can only be obtained by certificate of lawful use) | £125 |
| Confirmation that permitted development rights have not been removed | £125 |
| Confirmation of planning restrictions | £125 |
| Help resolving conveyancing issues | £500 |
| Confirmation of compliance with S106 Agreement (desktop assessment) | £250 |
| Confirmation of validation requirements | £125 |
The above fees do not include any response on design or heritage which will be quoted separately.
Make a request
To make a request for advice you need to email: planning.services@harlow.gov.uk or write to: Planning and Building Control, Harlow Council, Civic Centre, The Water Gardens, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1WG.
You’ll need to make sure you specify which type of advice you’d like and make the subject of your email ‘Request for pre-application planning advice’.
What you need to provide
To make a request, you will need to provide:
- detailed location plan of the site, its boundaries and neighbours
- description of the development (including the uses, the amount of development proposed for each use and the maximum and minimum height, width and length of each building)
- layout plan showing any separate development areas within the site and access points
- description of how the development will affect the surrounding area
- explanation of why you would like to meet and suggested location and time (for meeting requests only)
If you would like a more detailed response, you will also need to provide:
- existing and proposed floor plans and elevations
- survey drawing of existing and proposed site levels
- tree survey or arboricultural report (if there are trees affected by the development)
- explanation of the rationale for the design
After we receive your request
Once we receive your request for written planning advice, as long as you have provided all the information we need, we will:
- research the planning history of the site
- visit the site
- discuss with specialists in Planning Services
- tell you who we have consulted with and who you still need to consult
We will then give you our written response within 8 weeks. Our response will give you advice on:
- the key national and local policies
- a summary of the main issues
- if you have any S106 obligations
If we do not think your proposal is acceptable, we will tell you what changes you need to make it acceptable.
If you requested a meeting, we will confirm whether your development would need a meeting within 7 days. If it does, we’ll arrange it within 14 days and let you know the date, time, venue and agenda. The meeting will take place within 3 weeks of your initial request.
If we don’t think you need a meeting, we will offer to provide a written response instead.