Validation is what we do to check that new planning applications are complete and have all the right supporting information. Validation does not cover whether proposals are acceptable in planning terms. We will notify you as soon as your application has been validated.
To reach a decision, we check whether the proposal meets all relevant national policy and local policies and guidance. We take into account all the comments received and consider whether we think the application should be permitted.
If we think an application is likely to be refused, we will contact the applicant and allow them to withdraw it. Minor amendments that do not require re-consultation can occasionally be allowed. For more information, visit amending an application. All new information is uploaded to the online planning register .
Planning decisions can be made by officers or by Planning Committee.
All applications are currently being validated within 5 days.
When a new planning application is validated, it will be added to our online planning register within 5 working days.
Validation timescales
These should be decided within 13 to 16 weeks.
Major applications are defined in planning terms as:
- the winning and working of minerals or the use of land for mineral-working deposits
- waste development
- building 10 or more dwelling houses on a site is 0.5 hectares or more and it is not known whether the number of dwelling houses is unknown
- creating a building or buildings where the floor space is 1,000 square metres or more
- the development site is one hectare or more
Major applications could include outline, reserved matters or full applications.
Major developments should be decided within 13 weeks of an application being received, unless the development is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), in which case it should be within 16 weeks.
In all cases an extension of time may be granted if agreed in writing by the applicant within the statutory period.
These should be decided within 8 weeks unless an extension of time has been agreed in writing by the applicant within the 8 week statutory period.
These should be decided within 8 weeks if they don’t need planning permission unless there has been an extension of time agreed in writing by the applicant within the 8 week statutory period.
For certain classes of permitted development, it is necessary to apply to the Local Planning Authority for its 'Prior Approval; or to determine if its 'Prior Approval' is needed. The timescales for these to be decided are complex.
You can visit the Planning Portal Prior Approval for more detail.
Timescales for reserved matters applications are either 8 weeks or 13 weeks depending on whether the application is classed as a major or minor development.
These should be decided within 8 weeks unless an extension of time has been agreed in writing by the applicant within the 8 week statutory period.
Conditions (with some specific exceptions, including contaminated land and drainage conditions) can be "deemed discharged” if they are not determined within the 8 week statutory period; are not subject to an extension of time agreed in writing and; where the applicant has submitted a formal Deemed Discharge Notice within the required timescale.
These should be decided within 28 days of an application being received unless an extension of time has been agreed in writing by the applicant.
Tree Preservation Order (TPO) tree work applications are decided in 8 weeks.
Trees in a conservation area that are not protected by an Order are protected by the provisions in section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. These provisions require a notification to be sent to the local planning authority, using a ‘section 211 notice’, 6 weeks before carrying out certain work on such trees, unless an exception applies.
The work may go ahead before the end of the 6-week period if the local planning authority gives consent, or at the end of the 6-week period if the authority raises no objection. This notice period gives the authority an opportunity to consider whether to make a Tree Preservation Order on the tree.