Pre-application advice

South Oxfordshire District Council is committed to providing an efficient and effective planning service which meets government performance targets for processing applications.  We welcome discussions about planning applications before formal submission.  Please see pre-application charges for information on the different levels of service and relevant costs that we offer.  We believe the benefits of such discussions are:

• They can help applicants understand how we will apply policies and guidance to their proposal.
• They can improve the quality of planning application submissions by identifying at an early stage where we will need specialist input.
• They could help applications be registered more speedily and can improve the likelihood of a successful outcome.
• They can save an applicant’s time and money by identifying if a proposal is unacceptable in principle.
• We want to provide a positive climate for pre-application discussions, offering impartial and professional advice within an agreed timeframe.  We will allocate your enquiry to a  planning officer who will co-ordinate comments from internal colleagues, and provide you with feedback (generally within 20 working days).

The service is not compulsory and may not be appropriate for all situations.  However, we actively encourage pre-application discussions for all development proposals before submitting for formal consideration. You can download the pre-application forms here.

Further important information

We will make every effort to make sure that the advice given in the pre-application process is as accurate as possible.  However, any advice given by council officers for pre-application enquiries does not constitute a formal response or decision by the council in respect of any future planning applications.  Whilst such advice will be a material consideration, it cannot be held to bind the council in its validation or formal determination of a subsequent application.

If an application is subsequently submitted which fails to take on board advice given by officers, then we are likely to refuse it without further discussion with the applicant or their agent.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, it is possible that we could be asked to provide information regarding enquiries for pre-application advice and provide copies of any correspondence or advice we have given.  We can only withhold this information if its disclosure could prejudice commercial interests, inhibit the provision of advice or exchange of views during the planning process, or could prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs.  Those seeking pre-application advice should provide a covering letter that sets out the reasons why, and for how long, any information relating to the case needs to remain confidential.  It will be for us to decide whether information can be treated as exempt from disclosure.  Generally, notes and correspondence relating to pre-application discussions will not be treated as confidential once a planning application has been submitted and the case is in the public domain.