Introduction

This guide provides advice on facilitating and managing development rather than merely controlling undesirable forms of development. It reaffirms a project management approach for handling non-major planning applications in ways that are proportionate to the significance of each application. The overall aim is to improve the efficiency of the planning process and provide greater certainty of timescales, particularly for the applicant and third parties, in the context of achieving local and national performance targets.

The development management service can only be efficient and effective if all key stakeholders (Local Planning Authority, applicants/agents and consultees) follow certain basic ground rules. This guide sets out clearly how best to actively manage the progress of non-major applications through the Development Management Service and identifies the roles/responsibilities of the planning service staff, applicants/agents and consultees in the process, in order to deliver good quality planning decisions in an efficient manner.

Our aim is to move to a service that is front-loaded where applicants can utilize a functional and constructive pre-application service for non-major applications that provides a reliable and consistent steer on whether schemes may be acceptable or not, and if not, what issues need to be addressed to resolve those concerns. This will help to inform applicants' choices as to whether to pursue proposals through a formal planning application or not, and to enable such applications to be processed more swiftly if they are.

Alongside this, we are reviewing and updating the information and guidance available on our website so this is easier for householder applicants to find the information they need to make a formal application or get advice on whether it is likely to be acceptable or not.

Decisions on planning applications must be taken in accordance with the development plan unless there are material considerations that indicate otherwise (see Section 70(2) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004). The National Planning Policy Framework represents up-to-date government planning policy and is a material consideration that must be considered where it is relevant to a planning application or appeal. This includes the presumption in favour of sustainable development found at paragraph 11 of the Framework (2021) or future equivalent. If decision takers choose not to follow the National Planning Policy Framework, where it is a material consideration, clear and convincing reasons for doing so are needed.