What is development management?
The Development Management section of the Department deals with applications for planning permission for such work as new buildings, extensions, change of use (of buildings and land) and advertisements. Planning permission is normally required before most building works are carried out or changes made in the use of land or premises. Consent may also be required if you intend to make any internal and external alterations to a Listed Building (known as Listed Building Consent) or to demolish a substantial part or for the total demolition of a building in a Conservation Area (Conservation Area Consent).
Technical Support
For general information or help with submitting planning applications, our Technical Support team are available to answer queries daily between 2pm and 4pm on 01727 819347.
Speaking at Committee
If you wish to register to speak at Committee, please call Technical Support on 01727 819347 on the day of the Committee between 10am and 2.30pm.
Pre-application information and advice
The most frequent form of development is extensions to houses. If you wish to add an extension to your home and if you would like more information about applying for planning permission, please refer to our Planning Advice and Guidance page on this website or the Customer Service Centre at the Council Offices.
Informal planning advice can be provided over the telephone, at the Customer Service Centre or more formally by a pre-arranged meeting with a planning officer (see Pre-application meetings with planning officers below).
For advice on householder applications (extensions, loft conversions etc), we offer a drop-in service (15 minute slots) with a Duty Planning Officer on Monday afternoons between 1pm and 4pm and on Wednesday mornings between 9am and 12.30pm in our Customer Services Centre. You are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment. A ticket will be issued to you and you will be given an approximate time when you will be seen. For all other applications, see Pre-application meetings with planning officers below. This service is for residents of the District only.
A Duty Planning Officer will also be available to provide informal advice over the telephone on 01727 819344 or 01727 819345 on Wednesday afternoons between 1pm and 4.45pm and Thursday mornings between 9am and 12.30pm.
All advice is provided on a without prejudice basis only and is not binding on any future decision of the Council.
Advice over the telephone
You can contact the Development Management section on 01727 819344 or 819345 on Wednesdays between 1pm and 4.45pm or Thursdays between 9am and 12.30pm for general planning advice. All advice is provided on an informal basis only and not binding on any future decision of the Council.
The Environment Agency offer a free pre-application service. If the proposed development site is a hectare or more, in flood zones 2 or 3, close to a watercourse or on potentially contaminated land it is worthwhile using this service to check the likely EA response at planning stage. You can send your pre-application enquiry to colneplanning@environment-agency.gov.uk and download their pre-application form from http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/planning/33580.aspx.
Pre-application meetings with planning officers
In addition to the drop-in service provided by the Duty Planning Officer for householder applications, pre-application meetings for all other schemes are available by pre-arranged appointment only. Meetings with specific application case officers can also be made for a mutually convenient time, by direct contact with the relevant case officer.
The Council operates a charging scheme for all meetings (see Charges below).
All pre-application and advice meetings will be held at the Council Offices. Officers are unable to hold a site meeting without a prior advice session in the office and the prior deposit of plans or written proposals. If, exceptionally, it is necessary to convene a meeting on site, travel time to and from the site will be charged at the hourly rate.
Help us to help you
In order for you to get the most out of the meeting and for officers to provide you with the best advice on your proposals, you should send us your plans or written proposals well in advance of the meeting.
Charges for pre-application planning meetings
Under the provisions of the Planning and Compensation Act 2003 (Section 53), Local Planning Authorities are able to charge for meetings with applicants and their professional advisers.
The charges per hour (or part thereof) for 2010/2011 are:
Band A Major Proposals £600
(10 dwellings or more, building development of 1000 square metres or more or sites in excess of one hectare for retail, industry, warehousing)
Band B Minor Proposals £250
(all other proposals)
Payment must be received in advance of the meeting. The Council reserves the right to invoice any unpaid sums owed, which will be subject to our usual credit control procedures. These charges are reviewed each year.
For further information, please contact:
The Planning Department
St Albans City and District Council
St Peter's Street
St Albans AL1 3JE
Tel: 01727 819344 or 819345
Email: planning@stalbans.gov.uk
How do I apply for planning permission?
A planning application comprises drawings of your proposal, a site plan to indicate the location of the property, completed application forms and a fee, the level of which varies depending on the works involved (the amount is set by Central Government). Other information may also be required in order to process your application and you should ensure that you provide all the information listed on the appropriate validation checklist. Planning permission will normally take around 8 weeks to obtain once the application has been registered as valid.
Who will make the decision?
Planning applications are determined either by one of the three Area Planning Committees, which meet approximately every three weeks, or by officers under powers delegated to them by the council's constitution. Most applications are determined under these delegated powers. The Planning Committees usually only make decisions on planning applications for major developments, those proposals that raise significant public concern, or those 'called in' by a District Councillor. For information on plannning committees and the call-in process, please see Planning Committee Meetings.
There is an opportunity for people to speak at the Planning Committee meetings. One person can speak for and one person can speak against each planning application that goes to a Planning Committee meeting. You can register to speak between 10am and 2.30pm on the day of the meeting by telephoning the Council’s Technical Support team on 01727 819347. Each speaker will have up to 3 minutes to address the Committee. Only persons who have registered to speak at the meeting will normally be allowed to address the Committee.
Site visits
Appointments aren't necessary for planning application site visits. The officer will make a site visit at their convenience, unless they don't think that they will be able to get access, in which case they will contact the applicant. However, appointments are required for Building Control site visits. These officers will visit a site only if there is a Building Regulations application in, and the applicant or their builder will need to telephone the day before to make the appointment on either 01727 819289 or 819218.
Viewing planning files
Full planning files for the years 2000 onwards are only available electronically and can be viewed at our Customer Service Centre during office hours. However, as these have not all been loaded into our electronic document management system, you are advised to call in advance with the planning reference number to ensure availability on 01727 866100 and ask for extension 2500.
If you wish to view earlier archived planning files, these are available on microfiche. Technical Support operates an appointment service on Tuesdays. Appointments must be booked at least 24 hours in advance. Please call on 01727 819347, quoting the planning reference number.
Alternatively, our Customer Service Centre in reception operates an early morning appointment service daily, between 8.45am and 9.45am. Please contact them at least one day in advance to book an appointment on 01727 866100 and ask for extension 2500.
Copies of documents
Copies of Decision Notices, Section 106 agreements and Tree Preservation Orders can be provided. All requests for copies should be put in writing to Technical Support, Planning and Building Control, St Albans City and District Council, St Peter's Street, St Albans AL1 3JE. We make a charge of £17 per copied document (£20 for TPOs) and require the money before we will release the copies. Cheques should be made payable to St Albans District Council. Please ensure that you allow at least two weeks for your request to be processed.
Date of last review: 16 April 2012