Pre-application Planning Advice for Commercial Development, New Residential Development and Listed Buildings

All Pre-applications must be submitted via our online form on this page. Please do not submit pre-applications via email or post, as they will not be processed.

Our pre-application enquiry service covers all commercial and other business developments, as well as new dwellings and works to listed buildings. You should use this service if you are proposing:

• new housing (new build or conversion)
• commercial development
• changes of use
• advertisements
• telecommunications development
• works to a listed building

If you are extending or improving a residential dwelling, please see our Household Development page.

• This document is available as a PDF here.

Quick links:

• Why submit a pre-application enquiry? 

• What types of development are covered by this pre-application service and what does it cost?

• Planning Performance Agreements

• What will the Council provide in response to my enquiry?

• Will the Lead Local Flood Authority comment on my proposal?

• What do I need to submit with my pre-application enquiry?

  • Submission requirements for Strategic Development enquiries

• How do I submit my enquiry and how do I pay?

• Does the Council offer any further advice?

• Guidance on submitting information
• Will my enquiry be confidential?
• Other guidance
• Disclaimer
• Customer Feedback

Why submit a pre-application enquiry?

Pre-application advice helps applicants through the planning process, to make sure that high quality development can be delivered.  The service is not compulsory, but the Council actively encourages pre-application discussions for all development, particularly more detailed and complex proposals, before submission of an application for formal consideration.

By using our pre-application service, you can find out whether a specific development would require planning, advert or listed building consent and if it does, whether your proposal is likely to be acceptable. 

Submitting a pre-application enquiry can:

• reduce risk by highlighting issues affecting the scheme at an early stage;

• identify alternative solutions;

• help you to get the best value out of a development;

• help to reduce time and costs;

• provide guidance on the information required for any subsequent planning application;

• reduce the risk of the application being refused within statutory timescales.

In addition we can:

• advise on whether any third parties should be consulted separately (such as the Environment Agency, National Highways etc)

• provide guidance on community involvement, particularly for large schemes

• provide a better understanding of timescales, and administrative and committee processes

What types of development are covered by this pre-application service and how much does it cost?

The table below sets out the types of pre-application enquiry you can submit, the thresholds for each type, and the associated fee.

All major and strategic development will include feedback from the LLFA. 

For all other types of development LLFA input will be included where the development:

• is in flood zone 2 or 3 (see map)

• consists of a change of use to a more vulnerable use class (see national guidance)

• has a site area of 0.5ha or more within the Council’s Critical Drainage Area

and an additional charge will be applicable in these cases as set out below:

Planning Performance Agreements

The purpose of the PPA is to provide a framework, which is agreed between the LPA and the applicant, for considering development proposals.  We would encourage the use of a PPA for all strategic and major pre-application enquiries but they can be used for development of any scale. 

We would take a proportionate approach depending on the scale of the proposal and the complexity of the issues raised.

Each PPA is bespoke to the particular development proposal but will generally follow the following principles;

• the agreement is drawn up at the beginning of the pre-app process

• both the applicant and LPA are signatories to the agreement

• the agreement sets out key dates/milestones during pre-app/planning application stages. PPA’s can also cover post decision phases including discharge of conditions.

• the PPA will set the process for engagement with the community and elected members.

   

The benefits of using a PPA are that they can assist with:

• delivering a planned and responsive pre-application service

• project management;

• producing better quality development;

• submitting better quality applications;

• shortening the timescale for formal applications;

• appropriate resources being available to assess the proposal.
   

   

PPA fees will be calculated based on the nature of your proposal, the likely timescales and the amount of resource required to deliver the service.  The fees will cover the cost of the agreement only and will need to paid in addition to the pre-app fee payable for the development type proposed. 

• You can view a template PPA here.
   

To discuss use of a PPA for your proposal please contact us. Further information on PPA’s can be found here.

What will the Council provide in response to my enquiry?

Once you have submitted your enquiry it will be checked by our validation team to ensure that the required information and fee has been submitted.  Your enquiry will then be passed to a case officer for review and assessment, and any relevant consultation will begin.

Internal consultees will be consulted only.  We will not consult any external parties as part of this process unless specifically agreed with you.  Consultees will be given 21 days to respond.

In response to your enquiry, unless agreed separately as part of a PPA, we will provide:

*Meetings 

If, prior to submission of your pre-application enquiry, you consider that more meetings will be required to discuss the issues relevant to your proposal then you may wish to submit a PPA instead of using the normal pre-application route.  This will allow the number of meetings required and the timescales for response to be agreed in advance.

For major and strategic developments you can however request additional meetings during the consideration of your enquiry if you feel this would be beneficial. Please note that an additional fee will be required for any meetings which are in addition to those already offered (see table above for more details).  You will need to pay this fee before the meeting.

Meetings can take place online, on site, or at Civic Centre, as deemed appropriate for the scheme. The timing, location and purpose of meetings should be discussed with the case officer prior to arranging.

If, as the pre-application progresses, you wish to discuss amended or new information at a meeting, you must provide this information at least 7 working days before the date of the meeting otherwise we will not be able to provide any feedback when we meet.  If information is submitted too close to a meeting date, we may need to contact you to re-arrange.

**Consultee feedback

Internal consultees only (unless specifically agreed with you) will be asked to provide comment on the application and this advice will form part of the Council’s final response to you.  Consultees will attend meetings where deemed appropriate by the Council.

If appropriate, we may suggest amendments or request further information during the course of the assessment of your enquiry.  Please ensure that this information is submitted in a co-ordinated manner to allow more efficient consultation. 

Will the Lead Local Flood Authority comment on my proposal?

The Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) are a statutory consultee to the Local Planning Authority for flood risk and surface water management on all major planning applications, and any other development that may have an impact on flood risk.

The LLFA will provide advice on your enquiry if it consists of:

• Major Development
• Strategic Development
• Change of use to a more vulnerable class
• Any development within flood zones 2 and 3
• A site area which exceeds 0.5ha in the Council’s Critical Drainage Area

The LLFA will: 

• Include advice on flood management issues that could affect a site's development options;  
• Advise on the scope of a flood risk assessment and any other information required to accompany an application;  
• Provide design advice regarding SuDS measures appropriate for the development, reducing the likelihood of retrofitting or redesign.
• Provide advice on adoption arrangements for SuDS/drainage features and any other long term management and maintenance issues  

To support your enquiry, a Draft Sustainable Drainage Plan for the site which identifies site constraints and opportunities and takes into account the national and regional guidance (link to LASOO and SuDS guidance) should be provided.

Further details on the service offered by the LLFA are available here. 

What do I need to submit with my pre-application enquiry?

In order to obtain the best from our service it is recommended that you submit as much information as possible to support your enquiry.  We appreciate that there are costs associated with producing plans and supporting documents.  However, the better the quality of your submission, the more helpful and detailed we can be with our response.

You can find out more about what information would be required for a formal application by viewing our validation checklist . This will provide guidance on the type of information needed to assess the application when it is submitted formally, and therefore is a guide to what information you should consider providing at pre-application stage. 

You can attach plans/documents to the online form when you submit your enquiry.

To assist with the processing and assessment of your enquiry please ensure that each document is no larger than 20mb in size.

Please submit all information required for your initial submission together rather than in stages as this will assist with validation and consultation.  We will not be able to register your application as valid until at least the minimum information required and the appropriate fee has been received.

The table below sets out what to submit for your pre-application enquiry.  See next table for Strategic Developments.

Submission Requirements for Strategic Development enquiries

How do I submit my enquiry and how do I pay?

All pre-application enquiries must be submitted via our online form.  See link below.

Please do not submit pre-application enquiries via email or post, as they will not be processed.

In order to submit online you must become a registered user first.  The login details required are separate to those you may have used to register with the planning portal but it shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to complete registration.   

• You can register your details here. 

Please note that you will receive an email to confirm your registration.  Please check your junk/spam folder if you do not see this appear in your inbox.

Once you are a registered user, you are ready to submit the form.  You can include any plans and supporting documents at this stage and pay the fee at the same time.  The whole process shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to complete.

Please ensure that each document you attach to your submission is no larger than 20mb in size.

Please submit documents in pdf format wherever possible as this will assist with the validation process.

Click here to start your pre-application enquiry.

(Log in to the Site, then go to Planning > Planning Home > then click "Submit Preapplication"

If you need any technical help using the application form, you can contact us here.

Paying the fee

To process your application quickly, we would recommend that you pay the fee when you are submitting your pre-application enquiry. Your pre-application enquiry won't be processed until payment has been made.

For Minor and Medium developments please ensure your payment includes the larger fee where LLFA advice applies.

If you are submitting a pre-application enquiry on behalf of someone else, and they are paying the fee, they can make the payment here.  Please select 'Pay Pre-application fee' from the list. 

If paying by phone, please call our Payment Line on 0191 277 7208.  Please give the reference number you receive when submitting the pre-application online form.

If you are unable to make a card payment, and require a BACS transfer, this will take longer for your pre-application to be accepted.

For BACS payments, our payment details are: Lloyds Bank, Account Name: Newcastle City Council Account, Sort Code: 30-93-71, Account: 63352060

Does the Council provide any further advice?

Depending on the nature of your development you may find the following beneficial to assist with the progress of your application.

General

• Guidance on submitting information
• Will my enquiry be confidential?
• Other guidance
• Disclaimer
• Customer Feedback

Guidance on submitting information

You can find out more about what information would be required for a formal application by viewing our validation checklist . This will provide guidance on the type of information needed to assess the application when it is submitted formally, and therefore is a guide to what information you should consider providing at pre-application stage.

You can attach plans/documents to the online form when you submit your enquiry.

To assist with the processing and assessment of your enquiry:  

• Please ensure that each document is no larger than 20mb in size;
• Please submit all information required for your initial submission together rather than in stages as this will assist with validation and consultation. 
• Please submit documents in pdf format wherever possible as this will assist with the validation process.

Will my application be confidential?

If you believe your proposal should remain confidential you will need set out reasons why and for how long it should remain so. Without this it will be assumed that the information will not need to be treated confidentially.

You may also want to talk to your neighbours before you apply for pre-application advice.

We will not normally make pre-application enquiries public.  However, we may be obliged to reveal details under a Freedom of Information request.  Each request is assessed on its own merits.

Please read our Privacy Notice which sets out how we use information as a Planning Department. 

Other guidance

You may find the links below useful in preparing your pre-application enquiry.

Disclaimer

The Council will make every effort to ensure that the advice given in the pre-application process is as accurate as possible.

However, any advice given by council officers for pre-application enquiries does not constitute a formal response or decision of the Council with regards to any future planning applications and, whilst it may be a material consideration, cannot be held to bind the council in its validation or formal determination of a subsequent application.

If an application is subsequently submitted which fails to take on board advice given by officers, then the council may refuse it without further discussion with the applicant or their agent.

Customer Feedback

If you have recently applied for pre-application advice, you may wish to give us comments and feedback about the service. We're keen to consult all planning applicants about whether they are satisfied with the service provided, and so we'd like to hear your views.

Please complete a short questionnaire if you would like to take part in this survey.