Guidance on completing planning applications online

The following guidance notes should be followed by applicants using the Planning Portal to make an application for planning permission. If you do not follow these guidelines, the Council may need to clarify items of information before your application can be processed.

General

Plans should show the whole building and be fully annotated with the dimensions, room spaces identified and drawing titles and numbers eg, Living room/bedroom front and rear elevation, Dwg AB/101.
Plans should be marked with the scale of any drawings, and the size of the paper on which the plan is intended to be shown (eg, A0/A1).

File format

Though the Planning Portal can accept a variety of file formats for plans, TIFF, GIF and JPEG are the easiest for the Council to work with, as plans can be measured online if provided in these formats, to scale, and dimensions are shown against which staff can calibrate online measuring tools.

Location Plan

Plans should be at a scale of 1:1250 or 1:2500 and the site to which the application relates should be clearly identified with a RED OUTLINE and any adjoining land within the applicant’s ownership/control should be identified with a BLUE OUTLINE. It must also include two named roads. The site plans which can be purchased from the Planning Portal are appropriate.

Block Plan

When extending or altering a building(s) your proposal should be shown on a block plan to a preferred scale of 1:500 to include the existing/proposed site boundaries and site access points ie, existing/proposed driveways. Adjoining properties should be shown at correct siting and scale.

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Proposal Plans

Floor Plan to a recognised metric scale for each floor showing existing and proposed layout.
Elevation Plan to a recognised metric scale showing all external existing and proposed elevations of the building(s) clearly annotating the type and colour of materials to be used for walls, roofs and windows. If in doubt you may wish to contact the Environment, Culture and Communities Department for further advice.

Fee

Most importantly the appropriate fee should accompany your application, either by cheque in the post or online via Portal e-payment facilities, in order for it to be processed.

Disclaimer

Plans marked “DO NOT SCALE” (or any other disclaimer) will be returned as unacceptable.

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You should also provide if appropriate:

Existing/Proposed Buildings such as neighbouring properties and outbuildings within close proximity to your proposal should be clearly shown identifying if any are to be demolished or altered. Applications not providing the required detail cannot be processed.
Site features such as trees in close proximity to your proposal showing what is to be retained or felled. It is important that any trees to be felled are clearly identified.
Car parking arrangements within or associated with the development should be illustrated on the plan.

Further information can be found on the leaflet Making a Planning Application – A Householders Guide