Pre-Application planning advice

Due to temporary staffing issues, there may be a delay in arranging meetings and sending our written responses. Please speak to the case officer allocated to your enquiry for further details.

The London Borough of Sutton offers a paid-for pre-application planning advice service for prospective applicants and businesses. We encourage all applicants to seek advice before submitting an application and offer a range of services to help lead to a successful application.

Please read our Pre-Application Charging Schedule (2025) to see the advice options we currently offer.

Once you have chosen the service you would like to purchase please submit your application using our online Pre-Application form. Please make sure you have all your documents, photos and supporting information ready when applying.

Upon receipt of both your application pack and the required fee, a case officer will make contact within 5 working days to arrange a time for the meeting. Case officers will then have 14 days from the date of the meeting to issue their formal advice letter for Categories A, B, C and D and 21 days for Categories E, F and G.

The advice provided will include a discussion on the merits of the proposal, including an assessment of the positive and negative features of the scheme, and will outline any changes that need to be made to the scheme to make it acceptable if necessary. However, the advice offered should be used as a helpful guide for the submission of acceptable schemes, and is not a binding decision of the Council, nor should the advice letter be viewed as a pre-determination.