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Charging for transport development pre-application advice

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Objective

The county council welcomes and encourages discussions before a developer submits a planning application to a district or borough council. It invariably results in better quality applications which stand a better chance of a successful outcome and helps speed up the decision making process after submission. The development industry can avoid abortive costs on inappropriate and un-resolvable proposals if a pre-planning discussion takes place.

Benefits

Pre-Application advice will provide you with:

  • an understanding of how national and local guidance and policies will be applied to the transport aspect of the development
  • the potential for reducing the time that professional teams spend working up the proposals
  • an indication of those proposals that may be completely unacceptable from the transport/highways point of view
  • written confirmation of the advice that can be submitted as part of any subsequent application.

Pre-application procedure

An initial free response setting out the main issues will be given if the following information is provided:

  • Site Plans
  • Site Address
  • Development Description

If further written advice, a meeting or site visit are needed, the following information will be required and a fee charged:

  • Confirmation of the existing use of the site, including planning application history, where appropriate.
  • Description of the proposed development, accompanied by sketch plans showing the proposal.
  • Scoping for Transport Statement/Assessment or a draft of these documents, if necessary.
  • Any other information critical to the consideration of the proposal at this pre-application stage.
  • A letter confirming that the charge will be paid within 14 days of receipt of an invoice.

Pre-application charges

Fees are determined according to the type and scale of the proposed development.

Residential development

Number of dwellings Further written response, meeting or site visit
1 £101 plus vat
2 to 4 £201 plus vat
5 to 9 £465 plus vat
10 to 24 £786 plus vat
25 to 49 £1320 plus vat
50 to 80 £1974 plus vat
81 to 250 £2767 plus vat
251 to 500 £5257 plus vat - can be split into two equal payments*
501 to 1999 £7885 plus vat - can be split into three equal payments*
2000 or more Price on request depending on scale of proposals

Commercial and retail development

Gross floor area Further written response, meeting or site visit
Up to 100m² £201 plus vat
101m² to 500m² £792 plus vat
501m² to 1000m² £1320 plus vat
1001m² to 2000m² £2100 plus vat
2001m² to 5000m² £2377 plus vat
5001m² to 7500m² £2767 plus vat
7501m² to 10,000m² £5257 plus vat - can be split into two equal payments*
10,001m² to 25,000m2 £7885 plus vat - can be split into three equal payments*
25,001m2 or more Price on request depending on scale of proposals

*First payment of the fee must be received before any meeting or written advice is provided (see procedure section above). Written confirmation of payment must include any subsequent payments and all should be paid within 14 days of receiving an invoice.

For mixed-use development or if your proposal does not fit into the categories listed above, please contact Surrey County Council for further advice. VAT will be charged at the current rate.

Exemptions

  • No charge will be made for householder and other minor proposals (with the exception of new or amended vehicle accesses requiring a site visit, which will incur a charge)
  • With the exception of private schools no charge will be made for charitable and public sector non-profit making proposals
  • No charge will be made for development proposals from Surrey County Council or any of the eleven constituent authorities for non profit making proposals
  • No charge will be made for the development of Policy with the Local Planning Authorities, until adoption of relevant policy documents.

What the charges will cover

The charge will cover the following work:

  • A single site visit (if no on site meeting is held)
  • An indication of the appropriate policies, standards and guidance against which the proposal will be assessed.
  • If requested, a single face-to-face meeting on site, at Surrey County Council offices, or borough/district offices if appropriate.
  • A written response will be provided in accordance with a timescale to be agreed
  • A single re-check of the scheme following any necessary revisions.
  • Meetings will be arranged within 10 working days of receipt of payment.
  • Subject to prior agreement with the applicant, the nature of the proposal may be shared with the Local County Councillor on a confidential basis.

Please note: The final response is made taking account of revisions to the proposals, any changed circumstances and the results of public consultation. The final decision on any planning application is taken by the planning authority, not by the county council as consultee.

Minerals and Waste Development

Scale of development Further written response, meeting and/or site visit
Minor1 £1096 plus vat
Major1 £4386 plus vat - can be split into two equal payments
Other2 Price on request depending on scale of proposals

1 Minor and major development is generally defined in accordance with Surrey County Council's minerals and waste pre-application planning advice.

2 Other proposals generate more than 50 HGV movements per day, are significantly smaller or larger that the definitions for minor and major development, or require input which goes beyond an initial written response, meeting or site visit.

Contact details

If you have a query use the relevant e-mail address below to contact us:

Transport Development Planning
Surrey County Council
3rd Floor
Quadrant Court
35 Guildford Road
Woking
Surrey GU22 7QQ

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