Pre-application Advice

The Council acknowledges the value of Pre-application discussions with developers, both to developers and the community as a whole. The pre-application advice service provided by the Council allows a developer (from a householder wondering whether their extension is likely to get planning permission to a major retail developer wanting to redevelop an area in one of our Town centres) to explore and address the planning issues raised by their prospective development without incurring the cost of submitting a formal planning application. However, the costs incurred by the Council in providing this service are considerable and if it is to be able to continue to provide this service it needs to find additional income to help offset some of the costs incurred. Many Local Authorities have introduced charges for pre-application advice in recent years and Milton Keynes Council has come to the conclusion that it must now do the same. The Council will continue to bear the majority of the cost of providing the service. However, from the 4th April 2011 the fee schedule set out below will come into force. From that date all requests for pre-application advice will need to be in writing (letter/email) and accompanied by the appropriate fee.

Fee Schedule:


(i) Proposals for Advertisements, Telecommunications or developments which do not attract a fee for a formal planning application: Free.

(ii) Proposals for (Householder) developments (that is applications for alterations and extensions to dwellings, not the erection of new dwellings): £80 for letter/email response or £140 for letter/email response following a meeting with officers to discuss issues.

(iii) Proposals for (Small) developments of less than 6 dwellings, less than 500sqm of non residential floorspace or sites of less than 0.2ha in size: £126 for letter/email response, £246 for meeting with officers to discuss issues with no letter/email response or £372 for letter/email response following a meeting with officers to discuss issues. Up to three meetings and two letters/emails relating to the same site has a fee of £516.

(iv) Proposals for (Medium) developments of 6-25 (inclusive) dwellings, 500-2000sqm of non residential floorspace or sites of between 0.2-1ha (inclusive) in size: £186 for letter/email response, £372 for meeting with officers to discuss issues with no letter/email response or £558 for letter/email response following a meeting with officers to discuss issues. Upto three meetings and two letters/emails relating to the same site has a fee of £936, upto five meetings and two letters/emails relating to the same site has a fee of £1,248 and upto Up to ten meetings and four letters/emails relating to the same site has a fee of £2,080.

(v) Proposals for (Large) developments of more than 25 dwellings, more than 2000sqm of non residential floorspace or sites over 1ha in size: £246 for letter/email response, £498 for meeting with officers to discuss issues with no letter/email response or £744 for letter/email response following a meeting with officers to discuss issues. Upto three meetings and two letters/emails relating to the same site has a fee of £1,248, upto five meetings and two letters/emails relating to the same site has a fee of £2,280 and upto Up to ten meetings and four letters/emails relating to the same site has a fee of £4,152.

All fees are inclusive of VAT. Any subsequent enquiry/correspondence relating to the same proposal will be treated as a new enquiry and will be subject to the same fee schedule. All pre-application enquiries need to be accompanied by a cheque for the appropriate amount or paid electronically via the Council's web site using your credit/debit card. Any enquiries should be directed to Planning Enquiries on 01908 252358.

What constitutes a pre-application enquiry

Any requests to discuss the likely outcome or issues relating to a potential submission for planning approval (including planning permission, Listed Building consent, Conservation Area consent, Tree Preservation consent, Advertisement consent) will be treated as a pre-application enquiry. This will include discussions that stem from a previous refusal of planning approval for a similar scheme or from enforcement action/investigation relating to an unauthorised development or discussions relating to amending a previously approved scheme.

Formalising the pre- application service

Along with the introduction of fees the Council will formalise the pre-application service to give developers greater certainty about what will be provided. All developers submitting a written request for pre-application advice will receive an acknowledgement of their request, setting out a date by which they should receive a formal response. In addition the Council undertakes to consult all relevant Council departments on the proposal before providing a formal response and to provide the appropriate representatives of all relevant Council departments at any meeting. The formal response would not be binding upon the Council, but it will provide guidance on the issues that would be material considerations when the Council considers any subsequent application for planning approval for the development.

When you submit a pre-application enquiry you will receive an acknowledgement of the application, letting you know who the case officer is for your enquiry setting out the target date for the Council to respond. For enquiries which do not have to pay a fee and for Householder enquiries the target date will be 28 days from the receipt of the enquiry. For proposals falling within the Small Developments category this will be 35 days from the receipt of the enquiry and for proposals falling within the Medium Developments category this will be 42 days from the receipt of the enquiry. For proposals falling with the Large Developments category this will be 56 days from the receipt of the enquiry.

Pre-application advice will only be provided in response to a formally submitted enquiry.

What you will need to submit

You need to submit the appropriate fee for the category of development you are proposing. If you want to meet with an officer/officers to discuss the application you need to make this clear in your submission and include the appropriate fee with the enquiry.

You need to supply a description of the proposal, a plan indicating the location of the site and any drawings you have that illustrate the proposal. You should also refer to any issues that you are aware of that may impact upon the planning merits of the proposal (such as the presence of protected species on the site). Remember the more information that you can give to us, the more detailed and precise our response will be. Enquiries that provide little information will only receive very general information in the response.

What we will provide

In response to a pre-application enquiry we will:

1.Assign an appropriate Case officer to progress and respond to the enquiry.
2. Visit the site (if necessary)
3. Consult all interested parties (such as Highways, Conservation and Archaeology, Landscape, Housing, Education, etc) within the Council on the proposal. If a meeting is requested, the appropriate representatives of those departments will attend the meeting.
4. Provide contact details for any external consultees.
5. Advise you on all relevant Council and national planning policies relating to the proposal.
6. Suggest appropriate amendments to the scheme.
7. Provide an opinion as to the likely outcome of a planning application for the proposal.

Submitting a Pre-Application Enquiry

An enquiry can be submitted by e-mail, post, online or by hand. It must be accompanied by the correct fee or it will not be validated.

Click here to submit a request for Pre-application Advice

E-mail enquiries should be directed to planning.enquiries@milton-keynes.gov.uk

Please supply written submissions to:
Development Control
Milton Keynes Council
Civic Offices
1 Saxon Gate East
Central Milton Keynes
MK9 3ZJ

Milton Keynes Householder Design Guide

A design guide is now available to help with the design of householder application schemes. The advice contained within the ‘Householder Design Guide’ is offered as informal advice to potential applicants as to the principles of what a Planning Officer would expect if a householder planning application were to be made. This information is not adopted Policy and is intended to be used as a guide only.

• Householder Design Guide

Milton Keynes Residential Development (Housing) Design Guide

A Design guide to new residential developments of multiple houses or flats is available for use. This is informal guidance and can serve to identify the principles that would be expected of such a development. This information is not adopted Policy and is intended to be used as a guide only.

• Residential Development Design Guide