Advice on your planning application
We welcome and encourage pre-application advice discussions before submitting a planning application. We offer a chargeable planning advice service for mineral, waste and complex county council community developments.
If your project does not relate to these types of development, you will likely need to contact your district or borough council for planning advice.
Our application advice can:
- provide an opportunity to influence development at an early stage of the process, leading to quicker decision-making
- ensure your application is complete, comprehensive and meets satisfactory standards, thereby avoiding rejection at the validation stage or early refusal due to inadequate or insufficient information
- offer site-specific advice on supporting information and mitigation measures required for the consideration of an application, including guidance on our Local Guidance and Validation Requirements
- help you understand how national and local guidance and policies will be applied to your development and identify the need for any specialist input
- offer opportunities for wider engagement with other stakeholders when appropriate, which can result in better outcomes for all parties
- potentially reduce the time your professional advisers spend developing proposals
- minimise the need for pre-commencement conditions before development may begin
- indicate proposals that are completely unacceptable, thereby saving the cost of pursuing a formal application.
Chargeable advice
To apply for chargeable planning advice on mineral, waste, and county council community developments complete our planning advice request form (DOCX, 92.6 KB). Read the charging guide (PDF, 560.7 KB).
Advice on forms
For free and informal advice on the forms you need contact us:
- email: planning.applications@kent.gov.uk
- call: 03000 41 12 00.
Fees
The following fees exclude VAT, which will be added at the time of payment.
| Advice | Fee (plus VAT) |
|---|---|
| Meeting on site (verbal advice) | £550 |
| Virtual meeting (verbal advice) | £350 |
| Standard written advice after meeting | £150 |
| Detailed written advice after meeting | £825 |
| Standard written advice (no meeting) | £425 |
| Detailed written advice (no meeting) | £1,100 |
| Subsequent meeting on site | £275 |
| Subsequent virtual meeting | £150 |
| Additional specialist advice (including relating to noise, air quality, landscape, geotechnical) | Consultant’s fees will be charged at cost (in addition to any case officer time) |
| Attendance of other officers at the meeting (including specialist advisors) | At the case officer’s discretion |
| Other written advice such as commenting on a draft application | Price upon application based on hourly rate (depending upon complexity) |
| Follow-on officer advice | Charged in advance at an hourly rate |
| Planning histories and solicitor enquiries | Price on enquiry based on an hourly rate |
| Work in connection with a legal agreement (post identification of the heads of terms, including relating to biodiversity net gain) or KCC legal advice (pre-application) | Price on enquiry based on an hourly rate |
Environmental impact assessment advice
The purpose of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is to safeguard the environment by ensuring that planning authorities, when deciding whether to grant planning permission for projects likely to have significant environmental effects, do so with full awareness of those potential impacts. The regulations establish procedures for identifying projects that require an EIA and for assessing, consulting on, and making decisions about these projects based on their anticipated environmental consequences.
If a project is deemed 'EIA Development', any application must be accompanied by an environmental statement containing the relevant assessment. Under the EIA Regulations, an applicant may request a:
- screening opinion to determine whether a proposed project falls within the remit of the EIA Regulations, whether it is likely to have a significant effect on the environment and therefore requires an assessment. Most major development, including applications for new mineral or waste disposal developments will need to be screened under the regulations, either in advance of an application being made or during the initial stages of the application process.
- scoping opinion (where a project is found to be EIA development) to determine the extent of issues to be considered in the assessment and reported in an environmental statement.
You will need to a request screening and/or scoping opinion in writing and provide:
- a plan which identifies the land proposed to be developed
- a brief description of the nature and purpose of the proposed development, along with a consideration of its potential environmental impacts
- any information or representation from the developer
- an explanation of the likely significant effects of the development on the environment (for a scoping request only).
Where necessary, you can also appeal to the Secretary of State for a screening direction to determine whether an EIA is required, or to confirm the information to be included in the environmental statement.
Highways permissions and technical guidance
For advice on planning applications that will have an affect on any part of the highway see our page on highway pre-application advice. We charge a fee for this service.