3.0 APPROVAL PROCESS
The approval process is in two parts, these being planning and building Regulations. The former checks conformity to the Town & Country Planning Act and the latter to the Building Act. Planning says if you can have it, Building Control says if it is being built right. Okay, some what happens at each stage
3.01 PLANNING
On receipt of the planning fees from you, usually the same day a planning application is made to the Local planning authority. We again ask you to note that we have no control over the planning authority – we cannot make them hurry up, change their policy or make them make a decision.
What happens after my application has been made?
Your application will be forwarded to the Planning Department of the Council for your area. They will check that all the appropriate documentation has been received, together with the correct fee. They will then register the application as valid and write to us, giving us a date by which your application should be decided. A copy of this letter will be forwarded to you. If the application is fairly straightforward, the decision process takes approximately eight weeks. However, we would emphasise that this date may sometimes be exceeded for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the sheer number of applications currently being dealt with in local Planning Departments.
During the planning process your application will be examined more closely, and the Council will contact us if they require further information, clarification or amendments. If these amendments are minor we will carry them out as a matter of course without referral to you; more substantial amendments will only be carried out after consultation with you.
Who will be told about your application?
Planning applications are public documents that anyone has the right to look at them.
By law, the Council must let people in the local area know of your application. They will write to your next door neighbours and, possibly, to other local residents. The letter will explain that a planning application has been made, that it can be viewed at the Council’s offices, and ask for comments.
In some cases a notice may be placed in the local press and/or a notice put up on site. This notice will give the same information as the letter to neighbours.
Lists of planning applications are also available at public libraries in the area and on Council web pages.
The Parish or Town Council will be told of your application and asked for their comments.
In many cases, others with specialist knowledge will be consulted about your application. These could include the Highway Authority, the Environment Agency and other Council Units.
What happens then?
Your Case Officer will:-
- Visit the application site. He or she will look at, for example, the effect of the proposal on neighbours and on the appearance of the area.
- Consider your application in relation to the planning policies for the site and the type of development proposed.
- Take all comments received from local residents, Parish/Town Councils and other organisations into account.
- Let us know if changes should be made to your application to make it acceptable.
- Prepare a report recommending whether the application should be approved, possibly with conditions, or refused.
How is my application decided?
The decision on your application may be made in two ways:-
- By a senior qualified Planning Officer after considering a report written by your Case Officer. The report will take account of all comments received and consider the key planning issues involved. Approximately 90% of applications are decided in this way. All applications for house extensions are dealt with in this way; or
- By the Council’s Development Control Committee. The Committee decides more major and contentious applications. The Committee is made up of elected Councillors, advised by senior qualified professional Planning Officers. The Committee will consider a report written by your Case Officer. The report will summarise the comments received and the key planning issues involved. You will be informed of the date of the Committee meeting and will be sent a copy of the Committee report. You are welcome to attend the Committee meeting and listen to the discussion. However, only members of the Committee and Officers are able to speak at the meeting.
How can I find out what has happened to my application?
If you would like to know how your application is progressing, we will be happy to contact the Case Officer on your behalf. Alternatively you may contact the Council direct at the number given on their initial application registration letter.
After a decision has been made on your application, the Council will send us a notice giving full details of their decision. We will then forward this to you.
3.02 BUILDING REGULATIONS
Once planning permission has been obtained you will need to apply for Building Regulations approval. When we forward your planning permission, we will ask whether you wish to proceed with your scheme and request a cheque for the Building Regulations fee. As soon as we have received your confirmation, an application will be made on your behalf.
Often the submission to building control requires preparatory work to develop up to standard – particular calculations etc. This may take sometime, however once complete we will submit the application. If appropriate the second half of your fee will now be invoiced.
Again, Building Control may request additional information, clarification or amendments. These will be carried out as part of due process with out referral to you.
Building control process takes on average four weeks, though they are entitled to eight weeks under the citizens charter.
We are partners with Blackpool Borough Council Building Control Section. This means that all our applications are made to Blackpool and not your Local authority, but the building certificate will be issued by your local authority under advise from the partnering authority. The benefits for this arrangement is principally speed of processing. We have a dedicated officer working with our office, who knows us and more importantly we know him. This develops a better understanding of each other and ensures a more flexible working arrangement with regard to approvals.
If time is of the essence, you may start work 48 hours after the plans have been deposited with the council – this is known as the building notice.
Be advised there is a final fee payable of the local authority. This is for the site inspections during the building work and will be invoiced by the Local Council after you have notified of commencement on site
On approval from building control we will forward to you the building certificate together with the latest revised drawings. These are the latest drawings and are required to be issued to the builder for building from. Not some other plan you found down the side of the filing cabinet. Enough said.
