Pre-application advice and Guidance

The Council offers a comprehensive pre-application advice service covering all application types. 

The Council offers a comprehensive pre-application advice service covering all application types.  Using our service can help improve the quality of your planning application by identifying any potential issues at an early stage.   By using the service, you will be provided with:

  • Details of the planning constraints that relate to the site

  • Give you an idea if your application is likely to succeed based on the current national and local policies

  • Identify potential problems and possible solutions before you make an application

  • Provide specialist input where appropriate

  • Advise you on documents and information that you should submit with your planning application

  • Identifying matters that may be required by planning obligations e.g. provision of affordable housing, highways improvements or play parks.

The details of the response will be proportionate to the details that are provided with your pre-application submission.

Requirements

In order for us to provide this service, we require:

  • Details of your proposal

  • Correct fee (please see below)

  • Location plan so that we can identify the site (please ensure that the boundary of the site is marked in red)

  • Sufficient detail to allow us to understand the proposed development.  The more information that is provided at the outset, the more detailed the advice that can be provided. If you are unable to provide scaled drawings, then it is recommended that you provide drawings with measurements on them

  • Any supporting information that may be relevant e.g. photos of the site.

Pre-application advice requests can be made via email to planning@southkesteven.gov.uk

Our commitment to you

When we have received the completed application, we will:

  • Record the enquiry and send an acknowledgement by email

  • Allocate the case to a case officer

  • Respond to your enquiry; Depending on the nature and scale of the development, pre-application advice will be offered by letter, email or by a meeting in person at the site or in the Council's offices

  • We aim to respond to pre-application enquiries within 6 weeks once all of the necessary information and appropriate fee has been received.  More complex proposals requiring a site visit and/or Design PAD meeting may take longer.

Design PAD

The Council offers a unique pre-application service for major proposals (10 dwellings or above or 1,000sqm floorspace or above and/or schemes considered to be sensitive called Design PAD.  For more information, please visit our Design PAD pages.

Fees

The fees for the pre-application advice service are based on the scale of the development:

Table of fees and charges from 1 April 2023 (inc VAT)

Proposal Fee Notes
Householders £85.00  
     
Non-residential    
No additional floorspace £150.00  
0 - 499sqm or 0 - 0.5ha £265.00  
500 - 999sqm or 0.51 - 1ha £450.00  
1000 - 4999sqm or 1.1 - 2ha £950.00 Includes Design PAD Meeting
5000sqm + or 2.1ha + from £1805 Includes Design PAD Meeting
     
Development of dwellings    
1-9 dwellings (for 1st dwelling) £350.00  
For each additional dwelling £185.00  
10-49 dwellings (for the 10 dwellings) £1,850.00 Includes Design PAD Meeting
For each additional dwelling £105.00  
50 + dwellings £6,550.00 Includes Design PAD Meeting
Number of dwellings unknown - per 0.1 ha £280.00 Includes Design PAD Meeting
     

Non-residential change of use

(Includes siting of caravans)

   
<1ha or building <1000sqm £265.00  
>1ha or building >1000sqm £530.00  
     
Others    
Variation or removal of condition £150.00  
Advertisement £130.00  
Demolition Works £150.00  
Non-householder works or alterations to a listed building £150.00  
Hazardous substances £175.00  
Changes of use not falling within any of the above categories £250.00  
Additional Design PAD Meeting £1,360.00 Includes meeting and response
Planning Performance Agreement POA

Please contact the following for quote

planning@southkesteven.gov.uk

Disclaimer

Any advice given by the planning service for pre-application enquiries does not indicate any formal decision by South Kesteven District Council as the Local Planning Authority.  Any views or opinions are given in good faith and are based on relevant issues in place at the time of consideration, without prejudice to formal consideration of any planning applications. 

Pre-application guidance documents

If you are not using our pre-application advice service, there are a number of guidance documents to be aware of before you submit your application.  These are listed below:

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