Planning applications requiring independent review of professional assessments for retail impact, agricultural justification or viability assessment
From 1 April 2026, we will seek full recovery of costs from applicants for all independent reviews of professional assessments by retail, agricultural or viability consultants.
Your case officer will check if this is necessary as they process your case, and will advise you.
Where a review is necessary, we cannot commission any external consultant until we have received costs in full from you.
There is a huge range of different sorts of planning application, depending on the current use and status of the site, and the development you're proposing. To find out which application type you need, go to the Planning Portal. Once you know your type of application, you can view the local checklist for documents you'll need to supply below.
For all types of application, please ensure that the documents and plans you supply are in line with our best practice guidance.
Prior approval - new agricultural development
- Building for agricultural/forestry use
- Private road for agricultural/forestry use
- Excavation/Deposit waste for agriculture
- Tank/Cage/Structure for use in fish farming
Prior approval - change of use
- Retail/takeaway to dwellinghouses*
- Retail to assembly/leisure
- Agriculture to dwellinghouses*
- Agriculture to flexible commercial use
- Agriculture to school/nursery
- Business/hotels/etc to school/nursery
- Amusements/casinos to dwellinghouses‡
- Commercial/business/service to dwelling house
- Commercial/business/service to mixed use, including up to two flats
* = Covers Associated Operational Development
‡ = Covers any land within original curtilage
Prior approval - new development
- Development for electronic communications network
- Larger home extension
- Collection facility for a shop
- Roof mounted solar PV on non-domestic building
- Enlargement of a dwellinghouse by construction of additional storeys
- New dwellinghouses on detached blocks of flats
- New dwellinghouses on detached buildings in commercial or mixed use
- New dwellinghouses on terrace buildings in commercial or mixed use
- New dwellinghouses on terrace buildings in use as dwellinghouses
- New dwellinghouses on detached buildings in use as dwellinghouses
- Demolition of buildings and construction of new dwellinghouses in their place
- Erection, extension, or alteration of a university building