The Council appreciates the
pressures that small businesses experience and this leaflet will
provide guidance to anyone currently running or intending to run a
small business and is intended to help with the submission of a
planning application and obtaining a decision as quickly as
possible.
DO I NEED PLANNING PERMISSION?
Almost certainly yes if you are
changing the use of premises, extending a building or making
external alterations such as putting in a new shopfront or a
security roller shutter blind. However, there are minor changes
where you may not require permission and you may wish to write a
letter explaining your proposal or seek advice from the Duty
Officer at Customer Services Reception or by telephone during
office hours. It is always advisable for you to seek written
confirmation as a record and to avoid any later
misunderstanding.
SEEKING ADVICE
We are happy to give pre-application
advice and in most instances we will be able to give an informal
opinion on the likelihood of your application being successful. We
will also give advice as to whether any other type of application
is required under Town & Country Planning legislation such
as:
- Listed Building Consent
- Conservation Area Consent
- Advertisement Consent
- Hazardous Substance Consent
- Certificates of Lawful Use or Development
- Applications to fell or lop trees subject to a Tree
Preservation Order or within a Conservation Area
Depending on the nature of your
enquiry it may be necessary to make an appointment to discuss your
proposal with a Planning Officer familiar with your property or
locality other than the Duty Officer.
OTHER TYPES OF PERMISSION
You may need permission under
different legislation and it would be advisable for you to seek
guidance from the relevant authority before submitting your
application as this may affect the details that you submit with
your planning application. Other relevant services such
as Building Control, Environmental Health can be
contacted at the Customer Services Reception. Other agencies
that you may need to consult include for example, Hampshire Fire
& Rescue Services, Southern Water Services and the Environment
Agency, depending on your proposal. Useful addresses are included
at the end of this lpage.
MAKING AN APPLICATION?
You may submit the application
yourself or may employ an agent depending on the complexity of the
details and information to be provided. If you decide to submit the
application yourself then the Duty Officer is available to check
the application before it is submitted to ensure that it is
complete. If an agent is employed then all correspondence and the
decision notice will be sent to this person.
Depending on the type of application
to be submitted the plans required are: -
Location Plan -
This should be at a scale of 1:1250 with the surrounding area shown
to enable the site to be identified. The site must be outlined in
red with any other land under the applicant's control edged in
blue. An Ordnance Survey extract may be purchased from the Customer
Services Reception for this purpose.
Layout or Block
Plan - This should be drawn to a scale of 1:500 and should
include:
- a north point
- the proposed works
- any building to be demolished
- all existing building on your property and adjoining
properties, and the boundary line
- existing roads and footpaths including any proposed alterations
to them
- the location and spread of any trees and hedgerows with any
trees to be felled clearly shown
- existing and any proposed car parking
- the location of any external storage areas and refuse
storage
Detailed Plans -
These plans should show clearly what the proposal for any new work
will look like when completed. The details should be drawn to a
scale of 1:100 or 1:50 and would include where appropriate:
- a plan of each floor
- external elevations of the building including any building to
be demolished, all new works and details of the external materials
to be used
- any proposed landscaping and new boundary treatment
Depending on the nature of your
application additional information may be needed:
- Applications involving new buildings either in sensitive areas,
e.g. conservation areas, or of a significant size will need to
submit a design statement.
- Specialist reports may be needed to deal with particular
planning matters such as noise, smell, soil contamination or
treatment of surface water runoff. For advice you should contact
the Duty Officer by telephoning the Planning
Development Service before submitting an application.
- If there is any particular information which would help the
Council to understand you application which is not possible to
describe on either the forms or on the plans you are strongly
advised to include a covering letter.
All applications are acknowledged,
allocate to a nominated case officer and you will receive a date by
which the Council normally expect to make a decision.
All applications are considered on
their individual merits and in the context of the Council's
planning policies and Central Government advice. Relevant policies
may be viewed at the Customer Services Reception and copies may be
purchased.
Many applications are permitted
although in some cases amendments may be necessary or further
information may be required to make the proposal acceptable. If
your application is refused or if you disagree with a condition
attached to the planning permission, you can appeal against the
decision. The procedure is explained on the notes accompanying the
decision notice.
Although we intend to reach a
decision on your application as quickly as possible we have to
ensure that the proposal is satisfactory and consider relevant
comments from other agencies that have been consulted.
Representations received as a result of the publicity of the
application are also taken into account.
Your particular attention is
drawn to the requirements of the following:
- The Chronically Sick & Disabled Persons Act 1970
- Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- The Disabled Persons Act 1981
- Design Note 18 - Access for the Physically Disabled to
Educational Buildings 1984
- Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of
disabled people (BS 8300:2001)
- Inclusive School Design Building Bulletin 94
- Part M Building Regulations 2001
- Disability Discrimination Act Code of Practice (Part III):
2002
Your proposal may be affected by
these requirements and therefore, you may wish to seek advice from
the Council's Access Officer, Tel: (023) 9244 6642 before
submitting an application.
Do not forget that if you
are experiencing any difficulties in completing the application
then contact the Duty Officer.
Information and advice
If you have any general enquiries
please telephone Customer Services on (023) 9244 6015, or call in
to our Customer Services Reception in the Public Service
Plaza. The reception is open Monday to Friday between 9.00am and
5.00pm.
Enquiries relating to specific
sites/issues are best dealt with by prior appointment with the case
officer.