Planning Practice Note
Charges for Planning Advice, Enquiries and Information
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this Practice Note is to set out the Council's charges for:
- planning advice;
- planning agreements;
- publications;
- copies of documents.
PLANNING ADVICE
Planning advice is normally free of charge. This includes:
- pre-application advice about specific proposals;
- general advice to householders, prospective purchasers of property, those making or considering making representations on planning applications and the public generally.
However, sometimes the Council is asked to give advice in circumstances in which the applicant should more properly employ his own consultant. These are generally cases in which the benefit of the advice is solely to the applicant. Because there is no public interest in the outcome, undertaking such work by Council officers diverts resources away from their normal duties. Accordingly charges are made in such cases. Examples are:- certifying that planning conditions have been complied with;
- research or survey work for commercial organisations including the provision of copies of notices and other documents;
- work which should properly be conducted under a local land charge search which carries a fee;
- o confirming that there are no breaches of planning control when a property is for sale.
The charge for work of this sort is £40.00 per hour + travel costs + VAT.
Consultancy
Planning officers (and other professional officers) employed full time by the Council are not allowed to undertake private consultancy work, with or without charge.
PLANNING AGREEMENTS
When a planning permission is subject to a planning agreement under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the Council requires the applicant to pay the Council's legal costs in relation to the agreement.
This is because the permission would have been refused planning permission without the agreement. The applicant is thus benefiting from the procedure and the costs should not be borne by the public purse.
The cost of preparing a planning agreement is charged at £70 per hour subject to a minimum of £360, which is payable in advance.
PUBLICATIONS
South Shropshire Local Plan
- to consultants developers and professional organisations - £50 (£8 p&p incl. VAT)
- to non-professionals, individuals and community groups with South Shropshire addresses - £25 (£8 p&p incl. VAT)
- South Shropshire Local Plan 1996-2011 (first deposit draft) - £10 (£1 p&p incl. VAT)
Other documents relating to the local plan
- Sustainability Appraisal 1996-2011 - £3 (£1 p&p incl. VAT)
- Preliminary Assessment of Housing Capacity - £5 (£1 p&p incl. VAT)
- Interim Housing Policy - free (50p p&p incl. VAT)
- Village Design Statements - free (£1 p&p incl. VAT)
Supplementary planning guidance (SPG)
- Development briefs
- Conservation area statements
- Rural housing initiatives
- Rural business development in the countryside
- Rural building conversions
- Extensions to dwellings
- Countryside design summary
- Discussion papers
All these publications are £3 (50p p&p incl. VAT)
Planning Committee agendas and minutes
These are available from the Council's administration and legal section. They are issued free prior to or at the meeting to which they relate. Otherwise normal photocopying charges apply.
PHOTOCOPYING
The Council makes charges for photocopying documents from files. The following may not be copied:
- published works;
- copyright material unless in the circumstances set out below;
- written representation appeal statements;
- Ordnance Survey maps (available from OS agents see below);
- copies made using cameras.
Copyright material
Copies of plans and other copyright material (including those sent by fax) may only be made to allow them to be inspected at a more convenient time and place or to show them to:
- an elderly, disabled or infirm person;
- friends, relatives or neighbours;
- residents' or other groups.
In all cases the copyright material will be endorsed by the Council in the manner prescribed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
CHARGES
(Corporate Charges Apply)
Photocopy size
A4 first copy £3.20 - subsequent copy(ies) 40p per sheet
A3 first copy £3.75 - subsequent copy(ies) 65p per sheet
A2 first copy £4.20 - subsequent copy(ies) £1.05p per sheet
A1 first copy £5.30 - subsequent copy(ies) £1.75p per sheet
A0 first copy £6.40 - subsequent copy(ies) £2.10p per sheet
Fax - first copy £2.65 - subsequent copy(ies) 10p per sheet
The charge for the first photocopy on any file includes a service charge. This reflects the cost, in staff time, of retrieving the file and making copies from it. Subsequent copies from the same file are charged at the lower rate.
The charge for the first copy is levied at the rate for the largest document being requested.
Extracts from reports and minutes
Extracts from Development Control Committee papers and other documents are available from Planning Reception subject to normal photocopying charges.
Documents relating to land charge searches
Frequently copies of planning and building control documents are requested following land charge searches. There is an additional charge for the staff time in providing these of £28 per hour. This is charged in multiples of 10 minutes or part thereof.
Payments
Payments may be made by:
- cash or cheque at Reception when copies are requested in person;
- by cheque when copies are ordered by post;
- for commercial and professional enquiries copies will be forwarded with a request for payment. To keep costs down immediate payment by cheque is requested.
Cheques should be made payable to South Shropshire District Council or SSDC.
CONTACTS
Ordnance Survey maps
Ordnance Survey maps are available from:
- Hereford Map Centre (01432 266322)
- Shropshire County Council (01743 255350)
www.shropshire.gov.uk (External link)
© Copyright South Shropshire District Council,
Stone House, Corve Street,
Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1DG.
Tel: (01584) 813000
Fax: (01584) 813128
e-mail: planningandbuildingcontrol@southshropshire.gov.uk
Page Subscriptions:
Subscription allows you to track page changes without having to re-visit the page on too frequent a basis. The system will send you an email when a page to which you have subscribed is changed.
Subscribe to changes to this page here.Author: Planning and Building Control. Last Updated: 13/2/2007.
