An enhanced service for dealing with planning applications

If timescales and key dates are really important to your development or you would like priority access to your Planning Officer, a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) may be an attractive option for your development.  We offer various levels of service meaning this can be a good option even for small proposals.

A Planning Performance Agreement is a negotiated agreement, signed separately for each stage of a project (pre-application, application, post decision).  This is a service offered in addition to the pre-application advice and attracts an additional fee.  Entering into a Planning Performance Agreement has a number of advantages for time-critical projects:

• You will receive an enhanced service, with a dedicated Planning or Conservation Officer to deal with your application
• You will be given contact details for named internal consultees including Education, Highways Development and Lead Local Flood Authority, and so on, where relevant
• There will be a mutually agreed timetable for your proposal to be brought forward
• A realistic timetable for the size and complexity of the project, key milestones, including Section 106 (planning obligation) negotiations
• Early identification of problems or unforeseen issues, and advice for resolving these, which should reduce delays

We are not able to include statutory consultees external to the council, such as Historic England, Natural England or the Environment Agency. These organisations may offer their own enhanced services and we recommend that you contact them direct for further information.

Fast Track Planning Performance Agreement

Whilst most Planning Performance Agreements will require a bespoke agreement drawn up and agreed between the two parties, we also offer a fast track Planning Performance Agreement service for smaller applications such as Householders applications, Certificates of Lawful Development, advertisements, trees and non-material amendments.

The fast track application is a streamlined service which, for the relevant fee, would provide an officer recommendation and ideally, a decision, for example, within 6 weeks of validation.  In the event of a recommendation for refusal, full reasons will be provided and, subject to an extension of the target timescale, you will be offered, if appropriate, an opportunity to negotiate acceptable revisions at that stage, consider withdrawal if the objections cannot be overcome, or agree that the application be refused.

The overall aim of such a service is to provide customers with a quick decision process which is particularly attractive if the development has a tight timescale for delivery.

Fees

You can find information on planning fees on our fees and charges page.

How to apply

If you already have an allocated Planning or Conservation Officer for your scheme, contact them to explain that you are interested in entering into a Planning Performance Agreement. Otherwise please email  planningmineralsandwaste@somerset.gov.uk and we will contact you to discuss further.