Planning Duty Officer
As of 24th February 2025, the Planning Duty Officer will only be available on a Monday, between 9:00am and 1:00pm.
What is the Duty Officer?
The Planning Duty Officer service provides the opportunity for an officer to assist you with simple questions relating to planning matters. This service does not offer a definitive opinion on whether planning permission is needed, this can only be gained through the submission of a Lawful Development Certificate.
Our Duty Officer is available to deal with telephone or in person enquiries between 9:00am and 1:00pm every Monday. Please call 01775 764703 or come into the Priory Road Offices for a discussion.
A Duty Inbox is available throughout the week for email enquiries. We aim to respond to your enquiries within five working days. Please email at planningduty@sholland.gov.uk
Before you contact
Before you contact the Duty Officer, you should check the Planning Portal for general planning advice.
The Planning Portal has useful information such as:
- advice on the types of work you can do under permitted development
- interactive guides to help you explore how to progress common projects
- advice on planning fees and costs
If you are struggling to produce the documents and plans needed as part of the submission of a planning application, you should contact a Planning Professional/ Architect. The Duty Officer is not able to produce plans, elevation drawings etc.
What can the Duty Officer do?
The Duty Officer can provide informal advice on general planning matters. This may include:
· Generic questions on the planning system
· General advice and guidance on completing a planning application, including what documents may be required.
· General queries on planning policy and guidance, including the General Permitted Development Order, 2015
· Give generic guidance on viewing plans and documents for live and historic applications.
What can the Duty Officer not do?
Although officers will try to assist with your enquiries as much as possible, there are some queries that the Planning Duty Officer cannot help with. This includes but is not limited to:
· Providing an opinion on whether planning permission would or would not be granted. For this, you will need to seek pre- application advice via our Pre-Application Advice service.
· Seeking confirmation as to whether or not planning permission is required for a specific development. Formal confirmation of this kind can only be gained via the submission of a Lawful Development Certificate.
· Specific queries about other planning officers' applications. If your enquiry relates to a specific planning application, please contact the Planning Department on 01775 764725 and ask to speak to the relevant case officer.
· Giving advice about larger or more complex development proposals. For this, you will need to email or write to us for Pre-Application Advice.
· Providing formal written advice. Only verbal advice will be given by the Duty Officer, so this service is not appropriate if you require a written response.
· Providing confirmation that conditions have been discharged or complied with. For this a Lawful Development Certificate would be required.
· Providing a comprehensive site history. This can be found via our Search Planning Applications function or via Land Charges.
· Answering questions relating to boundary issues.
If advice is sought regarding the above enquiries the Planning Duty Officer will not provide a detailed response or advice. Instead, they will assist by advising the most appropriate route of action to gain the confirmation or information requested.
If you wish to have formal written confirmation that planning permission is not required for your home project, you will need to apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.
Self-Service
Alternatively, the answer to your query may be available on the Planning Portal.
The Planning Portal offers detailed advice and provides useful tools such as an Interactive House to assist you with your queries.