Duty planning service

The duty planning service offers advice on small scale domestic (excluding new dwellings) and small scale business projects only.

The service is only available via phone appointment, call 01256 844844 and an adviser will book an appointment for you to speak to the Duty Planning Officer.

A 15 minute appointment slot is available to book Tuesday to Thursday from 8.45am to 1pm (last appointment is 1pm). You can book up to one week in advance, but with a minimum of one working days’ notice.

You will be asked to provide details of the proposed development and its location. The more information you provide the more informed the officer’s advice will be. The duty officer may contact you before the phone appointment to discuss whether you have any plans that you can provide prior to meeting to enable them to give you the best advice.

If the details provided when booking fall outside of the scope of service then the Duty Planning Officer will contact you to cancel the appointment and you will be advised to follow the written submission process.

What the duty planning service offers

The planning officer will be able to give you verbal advice on your proposals and provide guidance on how to proceed. No written advice will be available through this process. If a written response is required, you will need to follow the written submission process.

Please note there will be no opportunity to review the detailed planning history of a site while discussing proposals with the Duty Planning Officer. You can research the planning history prior to your appointment.

If you require advice on more complex planning matters than those outlined above, you will need to follow the written submission process. If in doubt as to whether your enquiry falls within the duty planning service please send a message to the team using the link below.