Pre-application Advice

Important

Please note a query on whether a development requires planning permission will not be considered to be a pre-application request.

If your enquiry relates to anything other than a pre-planning application, please refer to our online guidance to see if you require Planning Permission or complete and submit our online Planning Enquiry Form or alternatively email us at Planning Enquiry.  

There is a change to our charges for pre-application enquiries, to find out the fees for the pre-applications please see our section "Scale of Fees" below.

What is it?

The Council encourages pre-application discussions between the applicants and its planning staff in advance of making an application for new development. This enables the identification of issues early in the process and allows for an effective and efficient approach towards processing applications, particularly in confirming what information is necessary to effectively assess an application.

The Scottish Government permits Planning Authorities to make discretionary charges for certain services, one of which is pre-application discussions.

The intention of pre-application advice is to give prospective applicants the opportunity to engage with and receive feedback from the Planning Authority on their proposals. This should help improve the quality of an application but can also help to avoid unnecessary expense and time.

It is important to note that the pre-application advice  is not a formal decision, is strictly without prejudice to Planning Authority's determination of any planning application and does not guarantee any future application will be successful.

Application Types

Major and National Applications

All Major and National application, as defined in The Town and Country (Hierarchy of Developments) (Scotland) Regulations 2009, are strongly encouraged to seek pre-application advice. This relates to large scale application for 50 or more dwellings or proposal involving the erection of over 5,000 of 10,000 sq metres of new floor space for other types of development.

For Major Applications and for applications for new residential developments involving a new street, please refer to the Design Guide for New Residential Areas which provides a template of best practice for such applications.

Local Applications

Applicants for "Local" application proposals, as defined in the Hierarchy of Developments, are also encouraged to seek pre-application discussions including those for commercial, economic, or residential development.  There are also categories for advertisement and telecommunications development.

The Council will not charge fees for pre-application advice relating to Conservation Area Consent or Listed Building Consent, although associated applications for planning permission would fall within the eligible categories.

How to Apply

You should submit a Pre-application Enquiry by completing the Online Pre Application Form.

Please note:

• As part of the form you can upload drawings and images that help to illustrate your proposal.  A maximum of 3 separate files totalling 3mb can be submitted online.

  For some cases the submissions will exceed this limit. Where this is the case please submit the most relevant documents that illustrate the proposals and then once your case is registered you will receive a validation letter which sets out instructions for submitting further documents online at eDevelopment as a Post Submission Addition. These will be limited to documents no greater than 10mb at a time up to a total of 100mb per submission in accordance with eDevelopment policy.

Application Checklist

What to include in your application:

• A completed form including full contact details and descriptions of the proposal
• Location Plan at scale 1:1250 identifying the site
• Indicative drawings showing extent of proposals (elevations or drawings as appropriate)
• Existing floor plans and elevations as applicable
• Images showing the site and surroundings

For larger developments:

• An outline case for the proposal
• A list of anticipated supporting documentation

Planning Process

What to Expect During the Process

The degree of engagement and input on the proposal is informed by the scale and nature of the proposal. The Scale of Fees table below sets out the details of the service for the different scales of proposal, proportionate to the size of fee. This will range from a series of meetings with appropriate participants down to submission of details and receipt of an Outcome Report.

Additional Meetings

Where additional meetings above the number stipulated in the Scale of Fees are likely to be helpful applicants can request these (see additional costs set out in Scale of Fees) and they will be either with the case officer or, where appropriate and at the Planning Authority's discretion, with other internal consultees.

What is the Outcome

An Outcome Report will be provided in all cases, for any forthcoming planning application. This represents the end of the Pre-application advice process.

Applicants should note that this is an optional service but is encouraged as set out above. Applicants are not bound by the advice given in the Outcome Report.

Scale of Fees

Please see the fees for the various Pre Planning Applications below:

Schedule of Fees

Exemptions from Paying Fees

Proposals relating to works to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, for example the installation of a wheelchair ramp will be exempt from charges. Proposals which seek to retain, conserve and/ or repurpose Buildings at Risk will be exempt from charges (the building must appear on the national Buildings at Risk Register and be located within Glasgow City Council area). If you are uncertain, you can contact the Planning Authority to query whether your proposal would be exempt via Planning Enquiry.

Developments that have been subject to a recent planning application that has been withdrawn at the request of the Planning Authority will not be exempt from these charges, but assuming the valid resubmission of the planning application is received within 1 year of withdrawal, the same development will not be subject to a further planning fee.  

How to Make a Payment

Payment should be made for applications by BACs payment to Glasgow City Council using the undernoted details:

BACs Payment Details:

• Payee: Glasgow City Council
• Sort Code: 834400
• Account Number: 00796772
• Reference No: PRE (and quoting the property address for the application) e.g. PRE231GeorgeSt

Additional Notes 

Internal Consultees

"Internal consultees" covers a range of different planning and associated staff within the Council. This includes the provision of specific guidance relating to development plan policy or it can relate to wider disciplines including Flood Risk Management, Transport Planning.

While we will endeavour to ensure there is appropriate representation at meetings, this may not always be possible. However, we will ensure that consultations to appropriate internal consultees are carried out to provide as helpful and informative an Outcome Report as possible.

Further Revisions

Once the Outcome Report has been sent that is the end of the pre-application advice process. The Case officer has discretion to enter into further discussion to clarify or discuss minor matters. However, should these turn into more material discussions, further fees will be liable or potentially a fresh pre-application case will need to be opened.

Informal Requests for Advice

The extension and increase of pre-application fees is a reflection of the scale of work involved in resourcing the service. In order to provide a consistent and fair service all applicants seeking pre-application advice will be directed towards this service, as appropriate to their proposal.

The Planning Authority will retain discretion for very minor queries that do not warrant proceeding down the route of Pre-application advice. However, this will not overlap with any of the Outcome Report outputs that are listed in the Scale of Fees.

Bespoke Arrangements

There are occasionally proposals that, by their nature, scale and complexity, can generate an exceptional draw upon resources. In such circumstances it may be appropriate to explore a bespoke arrangement for servicing pre-application discussions and this can be discussed with senior officers. In the first instance please contact Andy Dale 0141 287 6016.

Pre-application Presentations to Committee

The Council offer the opportunity to applicants to present Major proposals (as defined in the hierarchy of developments) to the Planning Applications Committee at pre application stage. Typically this will coincide with and form part of the Pre-application Consultation activity where applicants are already engaging with local communities. Applicants are able to feedback on any events that have taken place in their presentation to committee.

These presentations take place at the end of the formal business of the Planning Applications Committee and are not recorded for subsequent viewing like application cases. The presentation and subsequent discussion is minuted by the pre-app case officer and the minute can be made publicly available should an application be submitted and can be included in the consultation report required to be submitted along with the planning application.

This exercise allows developers to engage at pre application stage with Planning Applications Committee Members where issues raised by an emerging development can be identified and addressed before any application is submitted. It also offers Members' visibility of significant new proposals throughout the city. This is particularly important as not every Major application will ultimately meet the thresholds set in the Scheme of Delegation triggering a requirement for the application to be determined by Committee.

The procedure involves a short introduction from a planning officer before a presentation by the applicant's representatives in which they will have up to 30 minutes to introduce the Committee to their proposal. The content of the presentation will depend on the nature of proposal but could cover the design evolution, key themes relating to policy or other matters that they wish to highlight to Members.

This is intended to be an information sharing exercise where applicants have the opportunity to illustrate their scheme and offers members the opportunity to query specific elements or ask about the detail of the development process leading up to submission or about background information informing the preparation of a proposal.

The Councillors Code of Conduct makes it clear that Members should not discuss the merits of the case or make any statements that could be construed as indicating their support, or otherwise, for a scheme. Doing so could lead to a perception that they may have pre-judged the proposal and are therefore not considering any application subsequently presented to them in an impartial manner.

Complaints

Should you have a complaint about the service provided during the Pre-application advice process this should be raised in the first instance with your case officer and their team manager.

The process does not ensure a positive Outcome Report and it is important that the Council provides realistic and accurate guidance that is as useful to prospective applicants as possible. Therefore, there is no scope to complain about the outcome.

However, should you have concerns about how the process was undertaken you should contact the Team Manager in the first instance.