Charging for pre-application advice

General information

• No chargeable advice will be provided, or your request considered, without payment of the relevant fee.
• Meetings are not a compulsory element of the pre-application advice process and will only be conducted where agreed by both parties. Unfortunately, no refund or reduction in the fee will be available should a meeting not be taken up. 
• Meetings will generally be held on Teams unless agreed between the parties that in-person would be more appropriate.  Meetings may be held at the Civic Centre, Pershore, The Council House Great Malvern or on site by agreement between the Council and applicant. 
• The attendance of consultees at meetings cannot be guaranteed, however wherever possible and necessary, invitations will be issued. 
• Please note the additional fee requirements in relation to highway advice, other consultees may also make charges in the future. 
• Where a meeting is held in the first instance prior to initial written advice, a timescale for the follow up written response will be agreed at the meeting. Wherever possible, the first meeting will be held within the response times noted above. Subsequent meetings will be dependent on the progress with the proposals and subject to availability of the Planning Officer and relevant consultees. 
• All advice is provided without prejudice to the outcome of any future planning application, or change to the statutory or policy planning framework, however where changes are perceived to be imminent, we will advise you accordingly. 
• Where significant new information comes to light during the course of a planning application that was not considered at pre- application stage, the Planning Officer will alert the applicant to this and seek additional information if appropriate. 
• Development carried out on site without the benefit of planning permission (where it is required) is at risk of enforcement action and applicants and their representatives should be fully aware of this and be mindful of it when considering their position and future options. 
• Only under very exceptional circumstances will a refund or part refund be provided. 
• Free and independent professional advice on the planning process, and assistance with planning matters, may be available to you, depending on your circumstances. For further information, contact the local branch of Planning Aid through www.rtpi.org.uk/planning-aid/