Get pre-application planning advice

If you are considering carrying out development in the city, change the use of buildings or land, or extend your property, we can provide you with written pre-application advice before you submit your planning application.

We will provide clear, up to date and consistent advice about your proposals and where necessary suggest amendments to your proposal and work with you and others to help shape your scheme.

There is a fee for all written pre planning application advice.

Why get pre-planning application advice

Pre-planning application advice helps you to identify all the issues that maybe relevant to the consideration of your proposal, so it often saves you time and money in progressing your scheme.

Pre-application advice will provide you with:

advice about whether planning permission is required or not
identification of all the relevant planning issues
an understanding of how we will apply our planning policies to your proposal
a planning officer’s informal opinion on whether your proposal is likely to be acceptable at application stage
what documentation you will need to supply to support your application
other information or experts that you may need to speak to

How to submit a pre-application enquiry

To submit and pay for pre-application planning advice, complete the relevant pre-application advice forms below and email it to planningpreapp@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. This is the quickest and easiest method.

If you wish to keep parts of your pre-application confidential, complete the pre-application sensitive material checklist (PDF).

Before you submit, view the confidentiality and Freedom of Information request.

Categories and fees

If a pre-application request crosses over between categories, the higher fee will be charged

The Planning System operates on the metric scale not imperial. All pre-application enquiries should use metric units only and failure to do so may delay your response.

Householder (PAPA01)

This include:

Householder PD & Article 4 enquiries
Householder applications, including where the property is a listed building

Use the householder and small development form (PDF) to get pre-application planning advice.

Fees – £40

Documents to submit:

Site plan – helpful
Elevations and floor plans (existing and proposed) – helpful
Summary of proposed development – required
Design and access statement (draft) – not needed
Photos – helpful

Pre-application advice you'll get:

written response within 20 working days after your case has been allocated to a Case Officer
no meetings or site visits included in the charge (except for Listed Buildings, where the case officer may deem a site visit appropriate)

Adverts and small scale development (PAPA02)

This include:

Permitted Development & Article 4 enquiries
Proposals to alter or extend a single house or a single flat including where the property is a listed building
Alterations to listed buildings where Listed Building Consent (LBC) is required, but planning permission is not needed
Advertisements
Other small scale non-residential development, including:
Shopfronts
Extensions up to 25sqm
Other minor alterations to non-residential premises (e.g. windows, doors, cladding etc)
Changes of use with no increase in floorspace (except where new dwellings are being created)
Changes to conditions not involving physical alterations to the scheme (e.g. opening hours)

Please note: we are unable to provide pre-application advice for HMO enquiries. You are advised to consult our HMO database and/or proceed to a full application.

Use the householder and small development form (PDF) to get pre-application planning advice.

Fees – £40

Documents to submit:

Site plan – helpful
Elevations and floor plans (existing and proposed) – helpful
Summary of proposed development – required
Design and access statement (draft) – not needed
Photos – helpful

Pre-application advice you'll get:

written response within 20 working days after your case has been allocated to a Case Officer
no meetings or site visits included in the charge (except for Listed Buildings, where the case officer may deem a site visit appropriate)

Minor development (PAPA03)

This include:

Residential new build or conversion schemes for 1 to 7 units (with or without additional floorspace)
Non-residential new build or conversion with extension where the increase in floorspace is between 25sqm and 499sqm
Telecommunications equipment
Physical / design amendment to previously approved schemes of any size

Use the commercial development form (PDF) to get pre-application planning advice.

Fees – £ 250

Documents to submit:

Site plan – required
Elevations and floor plans (existing and proposed) – required
Summary of proposed development – required
Design and access statement (draft) – not needed
Photos – helpful

Pre-application advice you'll get:

written response within 20 working days after your case has been allocated to a Case Officer
no meeting or site visits (but may be arranged if the case officer deems it to be necessary)

Medium development (PAPA04)

This include:

Residential new build or conversion schemes for 8 to 19 units (with or without additional floorspace)
Non-residential new build or conversion with extension where the increase in floorspace is between 500sqm and 999sqm

Use the commercial development form (PDF) to get pre-application planning advice.

Fees – £400

Documents to submit:

Site plan – required
Elevations and floor plans (existing and proposed) – required
Summary of proposed development – not needed
Design and access statement (draft) – required
Photos – required

Pre-application advice you'll get:

Initial contact within 10 days after your case has been allocated to a Case Officer
One 1-hour meeting
Officer site visit
Written response within 30 days

Major development (PAPA05)

This include:

Residential new build or conversion schemes for 20 or more units
Non-residential new build or conversion with extension where the increase in floorspace is between 1000 and 2000sqm

Use the commercial development form (PDF) to get pre-application planning advice.

Fees – £600

Documents to submit:

Site plan – required
Elevations and floor plans (existing and proposed) – required
Summary of proposed development – not needed
Design and access statement (draft) – required
Photos – required

Pre-application advice you'll get:

Initial contact within 10 days after your case has been allocated to a Case Officer
One 1-hour meeting
Officer site visit
Written response within 30 days

Planning Performance Agreement (PAPA06)

Fee - case by case

You'll receive bespoke service; initial meeting to agree series of meetings and a unique timetable for a subsequent planning application.

Development for a Disabled Person (PAPA07)

Fee - free

You'll receive written response within 20 working days after your case has been allocated to a Case Officer (currently 4-6 weeks)

Confidentiality and Freedom of Information request

Your enquiry, together with any response made by the council, will not be made available for public inspection.

However, if the Local Planning Authority receives a request, under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) or Environmental Information Regulations (EIR), to disclose information relating to this pre-application enquiry we are obliged to do so unless the information is exempt under the Act.

We can only withhold information under FOI or EIR if the information falls under one of the exemptions (FOI) or exceptions (EIR) set out in legislation. For certain pre-application issues the applicant would be advised to complete the sensitive material checklist that should set out the reasons why, and for how long, they feel any information relating to the case needs to remain confidential.

However, although we take account of these views, we take final decision on whether any information should be withheld. The council complies with the Data Protection Act and we will not release any personal information to third parties.

Contact us

If you have any questions, contact us at planningpreapp@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.

Planning and Economic Growth
Civic Offices
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth
PO1 2AU