Shropshire County Council Charges

Shropshire CC has introduced charges for their pre-application advice. These are as follows:
For each type of development a charge will apply for pre-application advice given by the authority. The charges that will apply are as follows (All charges are inclusive of VAT):
Category A - Largescale Major Proposals - £1,750
Category B - Smallscale Major Proposals - £1,000
Category C - Minor Proposals - £500 *
Category D - Other Proposals - £80 **
* A single dwelling will be charged at a flat rate of £200.
** Applications for Minerals & Waste Schemes will be subject to a separate charging regime in recognition of the complexity of such schemes.

Quite a good idea on their part is that they advise developers that pre-application discussions are not mandatory (of course) but to not engage in the process will mean that if the application is subsequently found to not come up to the mark, the Council will not engage further and a decision to refuse planning permission will be issued.

This certainly concentrates the mind and ensures that a good application is lodged first time.

The Council has a range of technical specialists who will be on call to provide advice on their individual specialisms in the following areas:
Highways and Access
Green Travel Plans
Cycling Provision
Ecology
Landscape
Rights of Way
Aboriculture
Conservation & Design
Public Protection
Drainage
Archaeology
A lead officer is appointed to co-ordinate the input of these specialisms, dependant on the scale and nature of the development proposed.

Although some may view this as a money making exercise, I think developers will be only too pleased to get a firm indication of the likelihood of their proposal's success, as well as providing certainty.