A guide to planning

The Planning System provides a brief introduction to planning and explains what planning is for and why it is important.  It gives advice for both the householder and business people, and describes how the planning system works and how decisions are made.  The Policy and Research section of the Planning Portal provides a more detailed look at the planning system, and includes links to Government policy and advice.  In addition, the Volume Calculator enables you to calculate the cubic content of a proposed building.  The Fee Calculator will help you to calculate the fee for your planning application.  The Planning Portal also contains a section on Frequently Asked Questions

Many of the issues relating to planning are contained on the Department for Communities and Local Government website.  The website also has Planning Policy Guidance Notes which may assist you when making planning applications.  For a quick guide to the kinds of work that need planning permission, please visit the government's planning portal interactive guide

The Council's planning policy framework is set out in the Local Plan

Pre-application planning advice

We welcome and encourage discussion before applications are submitted for all types of schemes to identify the key issues and resolve any problems in advance.