Planning Pre-Application Advice

Pre-application advice relates to enquiries regarding the acceptability of development proposals, comment on layout and design and the interpretation of planning policy. Winchester City Council adopted a policy of charging for pre-planning application advice in October 2008.

Following a recent review of the procedures, pre-application advice is now provided in two forms, and comprises either written comments offered by the Council on a proposal for a specific site (Full submission), or alternatively consists of a meeting between a planning officer and applicant/agent where the general principles of developing a site are discussed without commenting on detailed proposals (Development in Principle submission (DIP)). The level of charges will relate to the scale of the development proposal, and the type of submission chosen.

Please note - no charge is made for advice given on householder proposals such as domestic extensions and ancillary domestic buildings.

If you would like to apply for pre-application advice you must complete the form below, and provide the relevant information as detailed for each type of submission.

Application Form for Pre-Application advice (Full and DIP submissions);
Guidance Notes for applying for Pre-Application advice;
Fees for Pre-Application advice (Full and DIP submissions);
FAQ's on Pre-Application advice

Further information regarding Listed Buildings and Conservation Area consents can be found on the Conservation Guidance Notes page.

Permitted Development Enquiries (Do I Need Planning Permission?)

We receive many enquires asking if particular types of development require planning permission, and respond to these in writing. To help potential applicants formulate their requests for information, a form is provided at the bottom of this page called 'Do I Need Planning Permission?'.

Our priority has to be the determination of planning applications and the provision of pre-application advice, and it may not be possible for us to respond to permitted development enquiries as quickly as you would like.

We aim to respond to such enquiries within 21 days of receipt, and if this does not meet your requirements you may wish to consider an alternative means of obtaining a view on your enquiry by referring it to a planning consultant.

The Planning Portal have a variety of different interactive guides which may also help provide advice. These can be accessed via the following links:

The Interactive House Guide an interactive semi-detached house for guidance on many common householder projects, including home microgeneration.
The Interactive Terrace for guidance relating to flats, shops and basements as well as many common householder projects.
The Extension mini-guide.
The Loft Conversion mini-guide.
The Porches mini-guide.
The Outbuildings mini guide.