Cornwall Council to charge for pre-application planning advice

The charges will vary according to the size of development and range from a £350 fixed charge for a major development, £200 for a minor development and £100 for other consents. The Council will not impose a charge on advice for proposed developments that only consist of affordable housing. 

The charges follow a consultation exercise that took place throughout October and November 2011 and have been introduced for budgetary reasons. The charges will ensure a more consistent service with acceptable response times, the Council said.

Pre-application advice for a major residential development will be subject to a fixed fee of £350 for  developments of ten or more dwellings where the site area is 0.5 hectares or more and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required.

A minor development, which is to be subject to a charge of £200, will encompass residential development of between two and nine dwellings where the site is below 0.5 hectares. The smallest charge of £100 will apply to matters such as listed building consent advice, proposals for a single dwelling and other smaller consents.

The new pre-application charges will not apply to  exempt categories. These include householder alterations, excluded listed buildings, resubmitted schemes, key sites, affordable housing and building regulations, which are free for the first hour.

The Council will offer a site visit, a meeting of between one and two hours with a case officer and a letter of advice including an opinion for applicants that have paid for pre-application advice. The flat rate fee can be reduced by 50% if a site visit is not required. 

The Council has produced a pre-application advice guidance note which explains the charges in full.