Discretionary Planning Fees

 

1. Pre-application Advice
2. Non-Material Variations
3. Discharge of Planning Conditions
4. Miscellaneous
5. Exemptions from Statutory Fees

1. Pre-application Advice

What is it?

East Dunbartonshire Council offers a pre-application advice service to prospective developers. This is a service where an individual or company proposing a development can submit their draft proposals for comment in advance of making a formal planning application. This process provides a number of benefits to both developers and the Council and is highly recommended. 

It is expected that developers submit these enquiries a sufficient time before submitting a planning application to allow any changes to be incorporated in the final design or layout.

The Council will continue to offer a duty planning service available by calling 0300 1234 510 between 0930 and 1300 any weekday. This service offers free verbal advice on householder permitted development, where to find policy and legislation information online and fees for planning applications. Requests for written confirmation of permitted development must come in the form of a Certificate of Lawful Use or Development (CLUD) under Section 151 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. 

Why is this beneficial?

Submitting a pre-application enquiry is encouraged for all scales of developments and provides the following benefits:

• An early indication of the acceptability or otherwise of the proposal allowing developers to make a more informed decision on whether to commit further time and resources into it.
• Detailed comments on design, layout and other material considerations to allow the details of the development to be adjusted accordingly.
• If advice is taken into account in the final submission a faster and smoother application process as many of the issues should have already been addressed.
• More certainty for developers on the final costs of a development related to developer contributions, on-site infrastructure improvements, likely materials etc.

How much does it cost?

There is a charge for this service which is dependent on the scale of the development as follows:

Pre-Application Service	Charge
Householder proposal pre-application (must relate to existing dwellings and excludes a new dwelling house) for written response	£52
Householder proposal pre-application (must relate to existing dwellings and excludes a new dwelling house) – for meeting and follow up written response	£72.80
Exemptions: Brief verbal non-specific or general advice which can be given over the phone Advice regarding works for alterations to improve access, safety, health of registered disabled person proposals which require listed building consent Where you have had a householder planning application refused within 3 months and are seeking views on a revised scheme for the same site. Proposals for new gypsy/traveller sites.	Free
All other non-householder proposals – for meeting and follow up written response	35% of planning application fee subject to a maximum of £1,560.00

What can I expect in the response?

If you request a written response this will include the following:

• An assessment of the proposal against the relevant local and national policies and guidance.
• Identification of any significant on-site constraints or opportunities that the development would be expected to address.
• An indication as to whether or not the proposal would be likely to be supported by the Planning Authority. 
• Comments from the most significant consultees.(Please note that not every consultee will be contacted as part of the pre-application process and a more thorough consultation will be carried out as part of any subsequent planning application).
• A list of likely developer contributions due and, where possible, details of the likely figures involved.
• For major applications or significant local applications a draft processing agreement will be provided for your approval.

Where a meeting is also requested you can expect the following in addition to the above:

• A meeting, either, virtual on site or in the Council offices, with a Planning Officer and, if necessary, relevant consultees. This is an informal forum where all parties can discuss the key issues. It will be at the Council’s discretion as to whether a site visit or meeting is the most appropriate.

What do I need to include in my pre-application submission?

The content of the submission will vary dependant on the scale of the proposal, however generally the greater detail provided the more detailed the response from the Planning Authority. As a minimum every pre-application submission should include the following:

• The address of the property in question or where there is no specific address a location plan with the site outlined in red.
• A detailed written description of the proposal. 
• For a householder application a proposed block plan and elevations. These should either be to scale or be annotated with measurements. 
• For residential developments a proposed site layout. 
• Contact details for a response (an email address is preferred).

How do I submit a pre-application enquiry?

You can submit an enquiry by email to planning@eastdunbarton.gov.uk or in writing to Southbank House, Strathkelvin Place, Kirkintilloch, G66 1XQ. Payments may be made online or by calling 0300 123 4525

A full response will be issued within 21 working days of receipt of all relevant plans and payment. If there are particular points in the response that require clarification then you are welcome to respond directly to the relevant officer for this. However revised proposals or alternative schemes will need to take the form of a new submission and will be the subject of a further fee. 

You should note that the pre-application response cannot identify every issue that may arise following a site visit, detailed assessment and full consultation exercise carried out as part of a planning application. Dependant on the size of the application and number of objections the final decision may lie with the Planning Board so pre-application responses do not provide any guarantee of an outcome to a planning application.

2. Non-Material Variations

What is it?

Section 64 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 gives the Planning Authority the power to ‘vary any planning permissions granted by them if it appears to them that the variation sought is not material’. This therefore allows developers to request relatively minor changes to an approved planning application to be agreed as a non-material variation (NMV) without the need for a fresh application. This saves time and money for both the applicant and the Council as it avoids the need for preparing and processing a full planning application with associated forms, neighbour notifications, newspaper adverts etc. for changes which do not require any detailed consideration. More significant changes would require the submission of a new planning application.

How much does it cost?

There is a degree of officer time involved in providing this service including assessment of the proposed changes, replacement of revised plans in the planning file/website and issuing a confirmation of the NMV. The following fees for this service are therefore required:

Scale of Development	Charge
All applications	£200
Exemptions: Alterations to planning applications which did not require a fee or were subject to a reduced fee (i.e. alterations to improve access, safety, health of registered disabled person) For the first NMV for householder applications within one year of the original decision.	Free

What can I expect in the response?

You will receive a formal letter listing the changes that have been approved as part of the NMV and also listing which plans this refers to. This will provide confirmation that no planning permission is required for these changes due to their non-material nature.

What do I need to include in my submission?

There is no form to complete and you simply need to email planning@eastdunbarton.gov.uk quoting the reference number of the previously approved planning application. You should include all revised plans in your email necessary to demonstrate the proposed changes. There is no need to submit a full suite of new plans, only those affected by the changes. For example a change in a house type on one plot would only need to be accompanied by revised floor plans, site plan and elevations for that specific plot. A bullet point list of the proposed changes shown on these plans should also be provided.

3. Discharge of Planning Conditions

What is it?

Regulation 4 of The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications)(Scotland) Regulations 2022 allows planning authorities to charge a fee of £100 for each request for written confirmation of compliance with a condition imposed on the grant of planning permission. 

How much does it cost?

Scale of Development	Charge
All applications	£100
Exemptions: Compliance with conditions attached to permissions which did not require a fee or were subject to a reduced fee (i.e. alterations necessary to improve access, safety or health of a registered disabled person. Where suitable evidence has been supplied to demonstrate the need for the works i.e. a GPs letter or Occupational Health report.)	Free

What can I expect in the response?

You will receive written confirmation advising that the information submitted in response to the condition is sufficient to satisfy it and that the development should proceed on the basis as approved. You should note that there is then a requirement for the approved details to be implemented on site within the specified timeframe.

What do I need to include in my submission?

This will vary on the nature of the condition however applicants should carefully read the condition in question to ensure all elements are covered within the submission.

4. Miscellaneous

There are a number of fees for smaller services that the Planning Authority offer which are described below:

Service	Fee
Planning History Search (digital copy of decision notice and/or plans)	£50 – Decision notice only   £100 – Decision notice and any no. of plans of a local scale application   £200 – Decision notice and any no. of plans of a major scale application
Section 50 Certificate (required for some licensing applications)	£150
Retrospective applications	The statutory fee plus 25% (see Planning Enforcement Charter for full details of this fee.)

5. Exemptions From Statutory Fees

Regulation 5 of The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 states that a Planning Authority may waive or reduce any statutory planning fee payable. This may only be done where a charter has been published setting out the circumstances for waiving or reducing fees. The below information therefore represents this charter.

Nature of Development	Fee
Development which, in the opinion of the Planning Authority, has the primary purpose of contributing to a not for profit enterprise or social enterprise*.	The normal statutory fee applies.
Development which, in the opinion of the Planning Authority, is likely to contribute to improving the health of residents of East Dunbartonshire.	The normal statutory fee applies.
Development which, in the opinion of the Planning Authority, makes a substantial contribution to the outcomes of Policy 1 of NPF4 – Tackling the Climate and Nature Crises and where it can be demonstrated that paying the normal fee would be detrimental to the outcomes of the project.	No fee