Planning pre-application service

For a small fee, we can offer advice on your planning application before it is submitted to us

Our pre-application service

As part of our pre-application service, we can indicate to you whether your proposal is acceptable. We will also explain what supporting information you will need to submit with your planning application.

If your proposal is unacceptable, we will explain why. We can also explain what changes could be made in order to make your proposal more acceptable.

Please note that this service does not include consultations with any organisations outside of Fenland District Council. This is because the majority of these charge for their advice, which is not included within our fee. We will not consult Town Councils, Parish Councils or neighbouring properties.

Please note that if you withdraw your pre-application enquiry before a response is provided by us, we may be able to offer a part refund on the fee you paid, dependant on the extent of work carried out on on the enquiry.

Apply for pre-application advice

Apply online for planning pre-application advice.

Response times

We aim to respond within 42 days for Major proposals and 21 days for Other or Minor proposals.

If our internal consultees do not respond promptly, we may provide you with a reply on a 'subject to' basis. This reply will be updated once we receive their information.

Fees

Fees listed below cover all research time on a case and a final written response. They are inclusive of VAT. There is an additional charge for a virtual meeting.

Type of Pre-App	Written Advice Only Fee	Meeting Fee (in addition to the written advice fee)
Householder	£300	£200
Lawful Development Certificates (existing or proposed householder)	£400	£200
Lawful Development Certificates (proposed minor)	£500	£200
New dwelling (1 dwelling)	£400	£400
New dwellings (2-3 dwellings)	£750	£400
New dwellings (4-9 dwellings)	£1,000	£400
New dwellings (10-19 dwellings)	£2,000	£500
New dwellings (20-40 dwellings)	£3,000	£500
New dwellings (41-99 dwellings)	£5,000	£600
New dwellings (100+ dwellings)	Not available	Bespoke price starting at £7,000
Residential development (where the proposed number of units is not specified) with a site area of below 0.5 hectares	£1,000	£400
Residential development (where the proposed number of units is not specified) with a site area of 0.5 hectares or more and less than four hectares	£3,000	£500
Residential development (where the proposed number of units is not specified) with a site area of more than four hectares	Not available	Bespoke price starting at £5,000
Commercial (Development relating to shops, offices, factories or other commercial business property) (Below 150 sqm)	£400	£400
Commercial (Development relating to shops, offices, factories or other commercial business property) (150-999 sqm)	£800	£500
Commercial (Development relating to shops, offices, factories or other commercial business property) (1,000-9,999 sqm)	£5,000	£600
Commercial (Development relating to shops, offices, factories or other commercial business property) (10,000 sqm or above)	£10,000	Bespoke price starting at £12,000
Agricultural development including equestrian uses, agricultural buildings, polytunnels and glasshouses with a site area of up to 0.5 hectare or a floor area of below 499 sqm	£250	£400
Agricultural development including equestrian uses, agricultural buildings, polytunnels and glasshouses with a site area of between 0.5 hectare and 1 hectare or a floor area of between 499 sqm and 1,000 sqm	£500	£500
Agricultural development including equestrian uses, agricultural buildings, polytunnels and glasshouses with a site area of over 1 hectare or a floor area over 1,000 sqm	£3,000	Bespoke price starting at £4,000
Change of use	£300	N/A
Principle of development (minor)	£1,000	N/A
Principle of development (major)	£5,000	N/A
Mixed Use Development	Two fees outlined above added together	Highest fee of the component uses
Confirmation that a clause within a S106 Agreement has been met	£250	N/A
Any other development	Bespoke price	Bespoke price

Note 1: In addition to the standard written advice fee, an additional charge applies for proposals involving alterations to listed buildings or development within the curtilage of a listed building. This additional fee is set at £200 for householder applications and £400 for all other types of queries. Similarly, for proposals related to retrospective applications or enforcement matters, an additional fee of £200 applies to householder applications and £600 for all other queries.

Note 2: Where meetings involve attendance by additional officers, such as a Conservation Officer or an Environmental Health Officer, an additional charge will be incurred. This will be calculated on a cost-recovery basis. This fee will be confirmed by the Planning Officer during the arrangement of the meeting and must be paid in full prior to the meeting taking place.