Ooh - good idea :)
There was a house up the road that dug out a new drive in the front that I am fairly sure involved digging into a 2-3' bank. I'll see if they bothered with a PP application - and if so how it read.
And I will certainly have a look for what you suggested - it's free to search.
I will keep looking in other parishes for any PPs applying to landscaping only.
Yes as a matter of fact :)
Bear in mind that once you ask they will know about it, whereas if you do it and it doesnt bother anyone else then they will never know.
Also bear in mind that being the sort of people they are once you apply it will get circulated for comments from other depts who will start asking for surveys for things for which thee is no requirement.
I do bear that in mind very much mate.
That's kinda why I'd rather pay for 1 hour with a planning consultant (I did not know the name until TNP mentioned, but I knew such professionals existed).
If he says "90% unlikely you need PP" that would be good enough. Or he might say: "It's 50/50 but if you did have to make a retrospective application, it's 90% it would pass" - also OK.
If I heard "Almost certainly needs PP and it's 50/50 whether they'd give it" - that would be the time I'd consider a certificate of lawful development, just to avoid nasty surprised for the next 4 (or is it 5) years.
Just do it and tell nobody.
In the 80s when I was working as a development surveyor, part of the development appraisal involved a meeting with the planners. Most of the time it was to find out about the possibility of a change of use, but could also include more complicated things.
Always free, at least where I worked, Midland and Yorkshire, and on the whole a pleasure to work with.
Be interesting to see what the impact has been. I'd guess a bunch of not permitted development, and a conservative approach to anything approaching official channels.
My experience some decades back is that planning officers were highly approachable and helpful. I think there has been some central government edict demanding that councils make "efficiency savings" by preventing their planning officers from giving unpaid informal advice. Probably enabled them to sack half of them.
Some councils will apparently let you pay for an informal meeting with planning officers prior to, and at additional cost to, an actual application.
The 'Planning Portal' advises you to talk to your local planning authority prior to submitting an application, but in the case of Rother they REFUSE to talk to you !
Andrew
So complain to your local councillor.
On 05/12/2016 14:57, The Natural Philosopher wrote: why not go an have informal chat with Planning Officer - I have found them fine. I wanted to build a 1.5m wall around property ... current development consent stated a fence. They were happy to discuss ... and sent me a nice letter giving em permission for wall up to 1.8m as long as bricks & mortar matched the house (which I wanted)
No cost, no application.
You can't, where I am. They even state this on their website.
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