Pre-Application planning advice
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 the notes below to establish the offer best suited to your needs. You can also read our full Charging Schedule prior to completing the forms.
Upon receipt of a valid request for pre-application advice, you will be assigned a case officer who will provide you with advice within the allotted timeframe. 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.
Pre-Application Confidentiality
Please be aware that any pre-application advice given is likely to be made publicly available as part of the online documents if we receive a related planning application, subject to commercial confidentiality rules. If you consider that any information contained in your pre-application submission, or any of the advice you received, should not be made available to the public upon receipt of a related planning application the Council will need to be notified of this in advance of a full application, and the reasons why you consider this information should be exempt.
Pre-Application Advice Options
Listed Building/Conservation Area advice
Planning Conditions, Non-Material Amendment, Minor Material Amendment Advice
Planning Performance Agreement (PPA)
Householder extensions
Our householder service gives planning advice on domestic extensions and alterations, such as lofts, windows, porches, garages, outbuildings, walls and fences, hard standings and access for vehicles, and satellite dishes. We offer advice on all residential extensions with a range of response types, site visits and in-house meetings to suit your needs and budget. To apply you will need to have drawings of your proposed plans drawn to scale and complete the form below.
| Service offer | Initial price (inc VAT) | Follow-up meeting (inc VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Bullet point response, office meeting, no site visit | £75 | Not offered |
| Full formal response, office meeting, no site visit | £124 | £62 |
| Full formal response, office meeting and site visit | £230 | £115 |
Apply for Householder Pre-App Advice
Minor applications
Minor applications are considered to be proposals which include up to 9 new residential units or the change of use or extension of up to 999sqm of commercial floorspace, or a combination of both. To apply you will need to have drawings of your proposed plans drawn to scale and complete the form below.
| Service offer | Initial price (inc VAT) | Follow-up meeting (inc VAT) | Conditions/NMA/MMA (inc VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial units up to 99sqm | £287 | £143.50 | £143.50 |
| 1 new residential unit or commercial units up to 199sqm | £450 | £225 | £225 |
| 2 new residential units or commercial units up to 299sqm | £600 | £300 | £300 |
| 3 new residential units or commercial units up to 399sqm | £750 | £375 | £375 |
| 4 new residential units or commercial units up to 499sqm | £900 | £450 | £450 |
| 5-9 new residential units or commercial units up to 999sqm | £1,800 | £900 | £900 |
*for mixed use developments the price will be be calculated as the higher of the residential or commercial element
Apply for Minor Application Pre-App Advice
Major applications
Major applications are considered to be proposals which include 10 or more new residential units or the change of use or extension of over 1,000sqm of commercial floorspace, or a combination of both. To apply you will need to have drawings of your proposed plans drawn to scale and complete the form below.
| Service offer | Initial price (inc VAT) | Follow-up meeting (inc VAT) | Conditions/NMA/MMA (inc VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-30 new residential units or commercial units up to 4,999sqm | £3,750 | £1,875 | £1,875 |
| 31-75 new residential units or commercial units up to 9,999sqm | £4,750 | £2,375 | £2,375 |
| 76-150 new residential units or commercial units up to 14,999sqm | £5,750 | £2,875 | £2,875 |
| 151-250 new residential units | £6,750 | £3,375 | £3,375 |
| 251-350 new residential units or commercial units over 15,000sqm | £7,750 | £3,875 | £3,875 |
| Over 350 new residential units | £8,750 | £4,375 | £4,375 |
*for mixed use developments the price will be be calculated as the higher of the residential or commercial element
Apply for Major Application Pre-App Advice
Concept meeting
A concept meeting is to discuss only the key strategic and planning policy matters. No other plans regarding layouts, building heights will be considered. If you require further detailed assessment, please request a pre-application meeting for a major proposal. To apply you will need provide a site plan and complete the form below.
| Service offer | Initial price (inc VAT) | Follow-up meeting (inc VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Concept meeting | £375 | Not offered |
Listed Building/Conservation Area
We offer advice on any works you wish to consider to either a Listed Building or works within a Conservation Area. To apply you will need to have drawings of your proposed plans drawn to scale and complete the form below.
| Service offer | Initial price (inc VAT) | Follow-up meeting (inc VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Listed Building or Conservation Area advice | £230 | £115 |
Apply for Listed Building/Conservation Area advice
Planning Conditions, Non-Material Amendment, Minor Material Amendment advice
We offer advice on any current or recently determined applications in relation to Planning Conditions, Non-Material or Minor Material Amendments you may wish to consider. To apply please complete the form below.
For pricing details please see Minor & Major application options above.
Apply for Planning Conditions, Non-Material Amendment, Minor Material Amendment Advice
Planning Performance Agreement (PPA)
A Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) is a project management tool that the Local Planning Authority and applicant can use to agree timescales, actions and resources for handling particular applications. We offer a bespoke Planning Performance Agreement service on all minor and major planning applications, an example of the technical expertise offered can include;
- Design Review Panel
- Legal & S106 advice
- Draft Viability review
- Draft Environmental Statement review
- Daylight/Sunlight advice
- Other specialist areas can also be incorporated into the agreement
for quotes and further details on entering into a PPA please email Development Management.
Follow-up meetings
We offer follow-up meetings to most of our pre-application services at 50% of the original costs. Please use the form below to apply.