Pre-application for businesses

Application form

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What do you need to provide?

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To help us respond to your request, please provide as much information as is possible about your proposal. As a general guide we suggest that the following should be submitted:

  • Completed pre-application enquiry form.
  • Site location plan at 1:1250 scale.
  • Elevational drawings of the proposed development, preferably to scale.
  • Site layout and floorplan drawings of the proposed development, preferably to scale.
  • Photographs and / or sketch drawings of the site and surroundings.
  • Written statement setting out the current use of the site / building and the details of the proposed development.

The correct pre-application fee must be paid in advance of any work commencing on your enquiry. Please make cheques payable to Trafford Council.  

What fee do you need to pay? 

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dwellings
Size of developmentFee (exclusive of VAT @ 20%)

Proposals comprising a single dwelling / commercial floorspace of  less than 100sqm. 

£462

Proposals comprising 2-5 dwellings / commercial floorspace of between 100sqm and 499sqm. 

£1,500 

Proposals comprising 6-10 dwellings / commercial floorspace of between 500sqm and 999sqm. 

£2,800 

Proposals comprising 11-20 dwellings / commercial floorspace of between 1,000sqm and 1,999sqm. 

£4,500

Proposals comprising 21-50 dwellings / floorspace of between 2000sqm and 4999sqm.

£6,200

Proposals comprising 51 and 99 dwellings / floorspace of between 5,000sqm and 9,999sqm.

£8,000

Proposals comprising 100 or more dwellings / floorspace of more than 10,000sqm.

£9,500

Meetings for proposals below 100 units or 10,000sqm of commercial floorspace

commercial

1hr Meeting (following submission of scheme) with agreed minutes written by applicant.

£2,500

2 x 1hr Meeting (following submission of scheme) with agreed minutes written by applicant.

£4,000

3 x 1hr Meeting (following submission of scheme) with agreed minutes written by applicant.

£5,000

Further bespoke pre-applications services available for schemes over 100 units along with Planning Performance Agreement, please contact development.management@trafford.gov.uk.

If in the course of pre-application discussions the Council needs to take advice from independent consultants or Counsel, the applicant will, with their agreement, be required to meet the cost of that advice.

Exemptions

Exemptions from fees will be provided in the following cases: -

  • Alterations to listed buildings where these do not form part of a proposal that also requires planning permission.
  • Alterations to dwellings to meet the needs of disabled persons.

What advice will you receive?

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You will receive a written response which will seek to provide clear guidance on the acceptability of your proposal. This guidance should indicate:

  • What the information requirements will be for the submission of a subsequent planning application.
  • Whether the proposal complies in principle with national, regional and local planning policies, and how these policies will apply.
  • Whether building works or new buildings are likely to be acceptable in terms of scale, massing, design, materials, impact upon the street scene, impact upon neighbours and adjoining uses, and heritage impacts.
  • In the case of new residential developments, whether they meet the Council’s standards for mix of units and provision of affordable accommodation.
  • The likely acceptability of the proposal in highway and parking terms.
  • Whether the proposal is likely to have an acceptable impact upon the natural environment and if mitigation measures would be required.
  • Likely constraints that might be imposed upon the development through the application of conditions.
  • Any financial contributions or other planning obligations that may be required via a legal agreement.

In addition to the written response, the service would normally include one meeting with the case officer, where this is considered appropriate. Where a more bespoke service is requested including meetings with more senior officers or officers from other services (e.g. the Local Highway Authority), this will be subject to a bespoke additional fee (normally based on the relevant hourly rate) to be agreed between the developer and the Council.

How long will it take?

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Within five working days of receipt of the pre-application enquiry form, fee and supporting information you will receive an acknowledgement confirming receipt of the request. The application will be allocated a unique reference number and a case officer will be assigned to the enquiry. Once the enquiry has been assigned to an officer you will be provided with their contact details.

We will aim to provide written advice within 42 days of receipt of all information.

Where a quicker response is required, for example to assist in the meeting of bid or funding deadlines, this can be provided, subject to a bespoke fee to be agreed between the developer and the Council. Please contact the Service directly with your requirements and for a quote. 

Where further or follow-up advice is required following the provision of the original response, this will be charged at an hourly rate (depending on the seniority of the officers involved). A cost estimate can be provided before the work is carried out. Further or follow-up advice will only be provided for requests received in writing within 3 months of the date of the original written response. After this date, a new pre-application enquiry will be required.

Status of advice

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All pre-application advice is based on the information you provide, and is given without prejudice to the formal consideration of any subsequent planning application, which would include a statutory consultation process being carried out. For this reason this we cannot offer any guarantees about the outcome of a planning application when providing advice.

All requests for advice are potentially subject to disclosure in response to Freedom of Information or Environmental Information Regulations requests. Confidentiality cannot therefore be guaranteed when using the service.

Environment Agency pre-application advice

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The Environment Agency (EA) has a charged-for pre-application planning advice service in England. The service is available to developers that need detailed technical advice about an application for planning permission or a development consent order. Developers can still obtain free advice from the EA on less detailed issues about a proposed development or change of use for a specific plot of land. The EA charges £84 per hour for the service and has published standard terms and conditions for the service. More information is available on the EA website.