How to apply for planning pre-application advice
First find out if you need planning permission, consult those affected by your development, and then use our pre-application advice service.
Under the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulations 2018, from 25 May 2018 all personal data included with your submission will be held for 3 years.
Benefits of pre-application advice
- High quality, professional advice, committed to the collaborative approach outlined in the Kent Planning Protocol (PDF, 8.14MB)
- Identification at an early stage any need for specialist advice or surveys eg trees, landscape, noise, transport, contaminated land, ecology or archaeology
- Quicker decisions on applications with more positive outcomes
- Lower costs due to a reduction in time spent by your professional advisors drawing up proposals
- Quick identification if a proposal is completely unacceptable, saving you the cost of pursuing a formal application
- Continuity, as wherever possible, the planning officer who provides the pre-application advice will be the case officer for the subsequent planning application
Does pre-application advice guarantee that my application will be successful?
No. The pre-application advice provided is based solely on the information provided in the pre-application submission and does not take into account the views of statutory consultees and other third parties that would be consulted as part of any subsequent planning application, or unforeseen material planning issues that may arise during the processing of the application.
How much does it cost?
View our fees table for full information.
How do I apply?
Remember to discuss your proposal with those who could be affected by the build, take their views into account, and include details of these consultations in an accompanying statement.
What documents do I need to provide?
For a valid application we require the following documents:
- redline site plan
- supporting statement
- site photos
- block plan with dimensions
You'll also need to pay the correct fee.
Depending on the level of advice required, other plans can be submitted such as elevation plans and floor plans.
You can apply and make payment using the link to the form below. Initially you will be asked to create a MyAccount (if you don't already have one) which will enable you to track progress of your application.
Apply for pre-application advice
For further guidance on producing valid plans and drawings, consult our comprehensive guidance.
Importance of submitting the required information
All advice given will be based on the amount and level of information provided. If only a red line site plan and block plan are submitted, the planning officer will only be able to provide limited advice on the principle of the development and overall issues and not the detail.
Folkestone & Hythe District Council assumes no responsibility for planning advice provided by third party organisations, nor issues arising from such advice on applications made or development undertaken.
Please note that third party advice may not consider local circumstances, site-specific planning records, or local development plan policies. Folkestone & Hythe District Council offers its own pre-application advisory service, which does take these factors into account.