Pre-application advice service

Householder and Small Business Planning Advice

For householder and small business queries, we offer 15 minutes of free advice and guidance with a planning officer via our Householder and Small Business Planning Advice. This should be used for advice in the very early stages of your planning application (typically prior to having had plans drawn up), or where you have a question around a particular aspect of planning, including queries related to permitted development.

Appointments for our Householder and Small Business Planning Advice are limited and typically fill up quickly. Please use our general guidance to find answers to many common questions that may result in you not needing to make an appointment. In addition, the ‘Common Projects’ page on the Planning Portal has information on over 50 typical homeowner building projects.

Please do not use the appointment to discuss multiple queries at the same or different locations unless they are directly related or have an impact on each other - in order to keep to 15 minutes, the officer will only deal with the query entered into the appointment booking form.

Listed below are the aspects of planning that the Householder and Small Business Planning Advice can advise on:

Simple extensions (typically these would be of single storey or no bigger than 40m2. For larger, more complex or multiple extensions at the same property, please use our Pre-Application Service).
Construction of new garages or outbuildings, or conversions of existing garages or outbuildings.
Construction of the following:
- Conservatory or porches
- Private swimming pool
- Dormer window(s)
- Roof alterations
- Solar panels and other renewable energy measures such as air source heat pumps
- Cycle shelters
Queries over garden or boundary walls and fences
Conditions that have been attached to a householder planning permission
Advice on old planning applications or permitted development (including properties in conservation areas)
For small businesses, you can use the Householder and Small Business Planning Advice for business development queries, including a change of use or extension for business premises up to 100m2. For larger businesses, please use our Pre-Application Service.
Note that for any alterations or extensions to a Council-owned property, including garden or boundary walls or fences, you will first need permission from our Housing team before contacting the Householder and Small Business Planning Advice service.

After your call, if you feel you still need further advice, then please make a further appointment - the planning officer may be a different individual but will have access to any notes that were made during the first call. However, if the Planning Officer feels that you are looking for a level of detail that is best dealt with via the Pre-Application Service you will be directed to that service instead.

The Householder and Small Business Planning Advice service should not be used for the following:

How householder planning applications are assessed (please refer to the step by step guide to permissions webpage).
Multiple extensions to the same property (please refer to our Pre-Application Service)
New or altered vehicle access – please see our general guidance
Any changes to a listed building (please refer instead to our Pre-Application service). Find out more about listed buildings on our historic environment
Business/residential combined developments (please refer to our Pre-Application service)
Anything related to trees or tree protection orders – please refer to our trees & hedgerows page.
Assistance with using the Planning Portal – please use the Planning Portal’s customer service helpline on 0333 323 4589 or email support@planningportal.co.uk

Please note that the Planning Officer cannot:

provide an opinion on whether planning permission would or would not be granted
discuss the technical merits of applications, refusals or appeals
agree to any minor amendments to planning permissions
discuss enforcement enquiries
deal with the discharge of any planning conditions on a decision notice
take payment for any planning service
provide any written response or documentation

Any advice provided is informal and provided in good faith, based on the information and evidence made available at the time. Such advice is the individual opinion of the Officer and is not a formal decision of the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning service.

Book an appointment with a planning officer