IMPORTANT UPDATE
Over the previous two years the Development Control Service at Cannock Chase District Council has been handling a high number of planning applications. There is consequently significant pressure on staff resources at a time when the authority will be recruiting to fill key posts that will become vacant. In the meantime there will be a delay to the registration of planning applications and their allocation to case officers. A delay will also be experienced in providing a response to enquiries to Development Control. We apologise for any delay or disruption this may cause and will address the matter of service capacity as soon as possible.
Should your planning queries be relatively straight forward and related to Permitted Development, you may be able to find answers to your queries by visiting the Planning Portal.
Should you wish to obtain advice in respect to extensions to dwellings you can find generic advice in Appendix A and Appendix B of the Council's Design Guide by visiting the Supplementary Planning Policy Documents page on the Council's website and clicking on the Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document heading - Supplementary Planning Policy Documents | Cannock Chase District Council (cannockchasedc.gov.uk).
We can offer people pre-application advice for their planning applications. This can be a huge benefit, as both you and the Council will have a better understanding of objectives and any constraints that may apply on the site. It also helps your applications to be dealt with more quickly and should result in your development being of a better quality.
Please refer to the Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation section including the Cannock Chase SAC FAQs document if you require advice on the SAC.
Help for Householders
Pre-application advice for householder planning proposals
Seeking pre-application advise is a way of finding out if you are likely to secure planning permission, before the formal submission of a planning application. Pre-application discussions on planning applications can be hugely beneficial, as both parties have a better understanding of any difficulties that might affect the application.
Free Advice for Householders
A request for pre-application advice should be made on the Householder Pre-application Advice Request Form and is free of charge.
Our planning pages have general planning advice, including planning policy and design guidance, along with a checklist of what needs to be submitted with a planning application.
In addition, the Planning Portal Common Projects Page provides general planning advice on permitted development. The interactive guides are very useful in explaining what can normally be built as ‘permitted development’. In some instances ‘permitted development’ rights may have been removed from properties in the borough, so it would be wise to have the situation confirmed by writing or by e-mailing the planning department.
Most building work and some changes of use of buildings will also require Building Regulation approval. More information about making a building regulation application can be found on the Council’s website.
What advice will be provided?
- Guidance from a planning officer about aspects of the proposals that could that could impact upon the application progressing to an approval.
- Recommendations where possible, about how to improve the proposal and steps to take to stand the best chance of gaining approval.
- Any further additional information that will be required to validate a formal planning application.
What will not be provided?
An undertaking cannot be given that a particular proposal will be granted planning permission. This is because pre-application advice is given without consultation with other interested parties e.g. neighbouring residents, and would not be subject to the same rigorous assessment as a formal application.
Any views or opinions expressed are given in good faith, based on existing planning policies and standards, without prejudice to the formal consideration of any future planning application which will be the subject of public consultation and may ultimately be decided by the Council’s Planning Committee.
It should be noted that the formal planning process may identify issues relevant to the determination of the application that were not apparent at the pre-application stage. In addition there may be circumstances (e.g. the publication of new national policy) between the Council giving pre-application advice and the submission of a subsequent application that impacts upon the advice given.
What is required?
A request for pre-application advice should be made on the Householder Pre-application Advice Request Form and are free of charge. You should also provide drawings or illustrations that describe the proposal, including its size and layout; and the relationship to nearby buildings.
The more information you can give us, the more accurate and helpful our response can be - vague proposals may only receive vague advice. The key to the success of this service will be providing adequate information in advance.
What will the service be?
- In simple cases we aim to give a written response to your enquiry within 10 working days
- For more complex proposals it is likely that we will require further time. In these instances we will acknowledge receipt of the enquiry within 5 working days and provide you with details of the case officer who has been assigned to deal with your enquiry. We aim to provide a written response in these cases within 4 weeks
The planning officer will normally carry out an unaccompanied site visit. This provides an opportunity to visualise the development in context and take into account any features on the site e.g. levels and trees. (N.B. This is not intended as a substitute for detailed surveys that might be required at the application stage).
If, as a consequence of our initial assessment, we require further information we will contact you. We aim to ensure that information requirements at this stage are not onerous, but are adequate to make a reasoned judgement on the acceptability of the proposal.
Charges
No charge will be made in relation to advice being sought regarding the following types of development:
- Householder developments (i.e. extensions to individual dwelling houses)
- Developments which would not require a planning application fee (e.g. those requiring Listed Building Consent only).
- Works affecting trees subject to a Tree Preservation Order
Pre-application advice for non-householders
In order to facilitate a pro-active approach, the Council encourages prospective applicants and their agents to formally discuss the details of emerging major planning applications before they are submitted. This should ensure that the resultant planning application contains all the information necessary for the Council to register the application and assist the achievement of determination times.
What is required?
We aim to give a high standard and consistent level of advice and therefore, there must be a minimum level of information that we require from you. This level of detail will depend on the type and size of the proposed development.
A request for pre-application advice should be made on the Major Applications Pre-application Request Form. You should also provide drawings or illustrations that describe the proposal, including its size & layout; and the relationship to nearby buildings.
For more complex proposals it may be necessary to include details of the site or building as it exists. This could include a plan showing features such as watercourses, site levels and the location and canopy spread of trees.
The more information you can give us, the more accurate and helpful our response can be - vague proposals may only receive vague advice. The key to the success of this service will be providing adequate information in advance.
Applicable Charges
There is a charge in relation to advice on ‘Major Developments’ in line with the following table (no charges are applicable outside of these categories)
Large scale major:
200+ Dwellings or 10,000+ sq metres of commercial floorspace | Medium scale major:
50-199 dwellings or 3000 to 9,999 sq metres of commercial floorspace | Small scale major: 10-49 dwellings or 1000 to 2999 sq metres of commercial floorspace |
£4000 plus VAT | £2000 plus VAT | £1000 plus VAT |
What advice will be provided?
- Details of policies relevant to the proposal.
- Relevant planning history.
- Constraints and/or assets of the site. IE flood risk or an area or building designated as being of historic importance.
- Guidance on aspects of the proposals that are likely to impact upon the determination of an application, including recommendations and where possible suggestions for improvements.
- Comments on the preparation, content and presentation of an application.
- Potential mitigation measures that could be incorporated into a scheme.
- An indication of whether a planning obligation under Section 106 of the Planning Act would be required and the subjects it would need to cover.
- Advice on groups or organisations you may wish to consult with as part of any recommended wider pre-application consultation.
- Any further additional information that will be required to validate a formal planning application to facilitate its decision.
- A guide to the timescales within which a planning application will be determined taking into account government targets e.g. 8 and 13 weeks, and in exceptional cases an indication of whether a planning performance agreement would be required.
What will not be provided?
An undertaking cannot be given that a particular proposal will be granted planning permission. This is because pre-application advice is given without the benefit of other interested parties e.g. neighbouring residents, and has not benefitted from the same rigorous assessment as a formal application.
Any views or opinions expressed are given in good faith, based on existing planning policies and standards, without prejudice to the formal consideration of any future planning application which will be the subject of public consultation and may ultimately be decided by the Council’s Planning Committee.
It should be noted that the formal planning process may identify issues relevant to the determination of the application that were not apparent at the pre-application stage. In addition there may be circumstances (e.g. the publication of new national policy) between the Council giving pre-application advice and the submission of a subsequent application that impacts upon the advice given.
Process and Timescales
- In simple cases we aim to give a written response to your enquiry within 4 weeks. In more complex cases we aim to provide a written response in these cases within 6 weeks.
- The planning officer will normally carry out an unaccompanied site visit. If the planning officer consider a meeting is required, they will contact you within 10 days to arrange this.
- If, as a consequence of our initial assessment, we require further information we will contact you. We aim to ensure that information requirements at this stage are not onerous, but are adequate to make a reasoned judgement on the acceptability of the proposal.
- All responses will be issued by a planning officer and may be reviewed by the Development Control Manager prior to despatch.
For more detailed information please refer to the Pre-application Advice for Major Planning Applications.
Guidance on Contaminated Land
You may be considering developing on, or near to, brownfield (previously developed) land, or a landfill. Such land may be affected by land contamination, particularly where the previous use was of an industrial nature.
Land contamination can present a risk to human health and the wider environment. Development presents an opportunity to understand and, where necessary, address those risks.
The Developers Guide to Land Contamination in Staffordshire has been prepared for those looking to develop land in Cannock Chase district, where the presence of land contamination is known or suspected. It aims to provide a step by step guide to what Cannock Chase Council (‘CCDC’) will typically require to ensure that unacceptable risks from land contamination are addressed.
Last Updated: 11/05/2023