Pre-application guidance

About our service
Under the Local Government Act 2003 Ealing Council now operates a pre-application charging service for all ‘major’ and ‘ strategic’ development proposals.

The council acknowledges that major development proposals within Ealing raise complex planning issues. In recognition of this and the desire to deliver quicker planning decisions, the council has decided to operate a structured pre-application service for all large-scale development proposals.

This new service will enable the council to become more actively involved in planning applications at an early stage. This will help to improve the quality of design, encourage greater public consultation, and enable the council to process pre-application enquiries and subsequent planning applications more quickly.

To ensure that this service is provided to a consistent and high standard, the cost of this service will be recovered from the applicant.

Definition of major and strategic development
A major development proposal is defined as:

10 to 100 residential units
1,000 to 10,000 sq metres floorspace
development on a site of more than 0.5 hectare

A strategic development proposal is defined as:

more than 100 residential units
over 10,000 sq metres floorspace
proposals for development requiring an Environmental Assessment (EA)

For all other applications, the council will continue to provide free planning advice by telephone on (020) 8825 6600 or at the Ealing Customer Service Centre, Perceval House, 14-16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing W5 2HL.

Benefits of the pre-application service

it describes how the council's policies will be applied to your development
provides a forum for specialist officer input, enabling key planning issues to be identified at an early stage
ensures advice is provided within set timeframes
identifies the information requirements for planning applications
identifies potential Section 106 obligations at an early stage
identifies the key community groups you should liaise with
allows subsequent planning applications to be determined more quickly
increases the likelihood of a successful outcome
it gives a clear indication on proposals that are completely unacceptable, which will help avoid any unnecessary costs

The process
All pre-application enquiries for major and strategic development proposals will be considered using the following process:

Step 1:
Contact us in writing to request a formal pre-application meeting. Your written request should be accompanied by the following information:

a covering letter detailing your proposal
a site location plan
information about the existing use, floor space, occupation and number of car parking spaces on the site
drawings and photographs to describe the site and building(s) as they currently exist
photographs of the immediate surroundings
two full sets of drawings to describe the proposal
a completed pre-application instruction form (word)
a cheque covering the pre-application fee
your contact address, email and telephone number

Step 2:
Upon receipt of the complete package of information, the council will contact you to set up a meeting time.

In order to control the number of pre-application enquiries being dealt with by the council’s strategic team at any one time, a maximum of two meeting times are available each week. These will be on Tuesdays at 10am or 11.30am. The council cannot conduct any pre-application meetings outside these times.

Step 3:
A planning officer from the council’s strategic team will meet with you at the agreed time in the council’s offices. The purpose of this meeting is to give you the opportunity to present your proposals to the council, including any planning justifications you may have. No formal pre-application advice will be provided at this meeting.

Step 4:
The planning officer will carry out a site inspection and make an initial assessment of the application against the council’s relevant planning policies.

Step 5:
The planning officer will present the proposals to the council’s development team approach’ (DTA) meeting, which is held weekly and includes officers from the following departments:

policy
highways
housing
urban design/conservation
trees
environmental health
environmental services (refuse)
crime prevention

Step 6:
Following the DTA meeting, the planning officer will prepare the written pre-application advice.

Step 7:
The pre-application advice will be signed off by the council’s strategic team leader before being formally issued to the applicant.

The cost

Category	Threshold	Charge for first meeting	Charge for follow-up meeting(s)	Format of advice
1	Householder applications: - Single dwellings	Nil*	Nil*	Duty officer
2	Minor applications: - 2-9 residential units or - 0-999 square metres floorspace	Nil*	Nil*	Duty officer or written advice on request
3	Major applications: - 10-100 residential units or - 1,000-10,000 square metres floorspace - development on a site of more than 0.5 hectare	£1500	£750	Written response
4	Strategic applications: - over 100 residential units - above 10,000 square metres floorspace - proposal requiring an Environmental Assessment (EA)	£1500	£1500	Written response

Please note:

all charges are subject to VAT
all charges are based on estimates of officer time and aim to provide cost recovery only
the charges include specialist advice including policy, design, and highways
a discounted fee of £750 per meeting is applicable to all 100% affordable housing schemes where a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) is nominated at the time of the pre-application inquiry

*An applicant may request a formal pre-application meeting and/or written advice for applications other than ‘strategic’ and ‘ major’ planning applications. In this case the council may agree to such a request in accordance with the ‘major application’ fee structure described above, or as otherwise agreed in writing by the relevant team leader.

Timing of advice
The council will issue written pre-application advice within three weeks from the date of the meeting unless otherwise agreed by both parties.

Disclaimer
The advice given by council officers in response to pre-application enquiries does not bind the council’s decision making or constitute a formal decision by the council as Local Planning Authority. Any views or opinions expressed are given in good faith and to the best of our ability without prejudice to the formal consideration of any planning application following statutory public consultation.

However the written advice provided will be considered by the council as a material consideration in the determination of a future related planning application, subject to the proviso that circumstances and information may change or come to light that may alter that position. In this regard the weight given to pre-application advice will decline over time.