Planning applications
Anybody proposing
to alter or extend their house is encouraged to discuss whether
there is a need for planning permission. A 'Guide for
Householders form' can be downloaded below. If you complete and submit this
form, officers will be able to give you further
advice.
We are always pleased to help and would also take the
opportunity to consider whether any other consents might be
required i.e. Building Regulations approval.
Information about when planning permission is required for
domestic and commercial work is also available on the Planning Portal, the
government's online planning and building control resource. Our
main planning page has a list of links to
various Planning Portal pages to help you find the section
that is relevant to you.
Advice before making an application
Prior to making an application, benefit might come from
discussing your proposal with a planner. A planner will be
available at the Town Hall,
Workington to talk to any resident of the borough or business
about any planning proposals and, if planning permission is
required, how it can be obtained.
Developers and professional advisors are asked to make an
appointment with an officer. Use our
planning appointment online form to arrange a meeting. Simple
enquiries can be dealt with by telephone, email or contact
form.
Advice given will be accurate and objective but will be without
prejudice to the formal consideration of any subsequent
application. We can give you information about relevant planning
policies and previous decisions and, where appropriate, our
standards for such matters as car parking. Advice will also be
given on the likely time scale for dealing with the planning
application and the procedures to follow.
In order that an application, once received, can be formally
registered there is a minimum amount of information that must be
received with the application. This information varies depending on
the application. Please see our validation
checklists page for the information that would
be required with your application.
Submitting an application online
The Authority encourages the submission of applications online
using the
Planning Portal as this method is more efficient for us
and easier for you. It also means you only need to submit one copy
of each supporting document. You can also use the Planning Portal
fee calculator to help work out the cost of making a
planning application.
Submitting an application using downloadable forms
Guidance for applicants and planning application forms or
other relevant forms can be downloaded below or are available from
Planning Services at the Town Hall, Workington.
As well as the actual form of application it is necessary to
sign a certificate either confirming that you are the owner of the
application site or that you have given notice to the owner and who
that owner is. In addition to the forms it is necessary to submit
an accurate site plan clearly defining the boundaries of the
application site in red and any other land in your ownership in
blue. If you do not have a site plan, Ordnance Survey map extracts
can be bought from the planning offices at the Town Hall, Workington or
online at the Planning Portal.
Three sets of the site plan and three sets of detailed and
to scale drawings of what is proposed must accompany your
application. In most cases it is necessary for a fee to be
submitted with your application in accordance with the schedule of fees. A Design and Access Statement may also be
required. If you are in any doubt as to what is required or what
the planning fee should be, please contact planning services.
If you appoint an agent to act on your behalf, which can prove
helpful, all correspondence will be sent to the agent who will also
be contacted if information or amendments are needed. It is your
agents' responsibility to keep you informed of progress with your
application.
You or your appointed agent will be informed, normally within
three working days, if any further information is required to make
your application valid. If the requested information is not
received within 15 working days the application will be
returned.
Valid applications will be registered and acknowledged within
three working days. The acknowledgement will set out your rights
and give a date by which you should have received a decision.
If the application is for a proposal that does not require
planning permission you will be told about this within five working
days and any planning fee paid will be refunded.
Dealing with your application
We will try to deal with your application within eight weeks
although this will not always be possible.
We publicise applications and seek the views of neighbours
before making a decision. Your application will be available for
inspection at Allerdale House and on this site.
Consultation letters will be sent within five working days and
if appropriate site and press notices will be displayed within ten
working days. Consultees will normally be allowed twenty-one days
to comment. If amended plans are received and re-consultation is
considered appropriate then a reduced time for responding may be
imposed.
The planning officer will normally inspect the application site.
If access to the property is required the applicant or their agent
will be contacted as soon as possible to make arrangements. If
further information or amendments are required to the proposal
these will be explained to the applicant, normally within 28 days.
It may be necessary to await the end of the consultation period
before making contact.
Normally fifteen days will be allowed for the submission of the
detail requested. If at the end of that period the detail has not
been received the council may determine the application as
submitted.
Applications will only be refused permission if they are
unacceptable in principle or the necessary amendments cannot be
agreed.
Whilst the planner dealing with your application may express
views on the proposals, a formal decision can only be made by the
Council's
Development Panel or by the Head of Planning Services under
powers delegated to him by Council. (Scheme of Delegation in
Respect of Planning and Building Control Matters)
If the proposal is one to be considered by the Development Panel
then objectors will be given the opportunity to address the
meeting. If that occurs the applicant will be given the right to
reply. There are agreed rules covering the opportunity to address
the Development Panel.
Notification of the decision
A decision will normally be issued within three days of it being
made. Those individuals who offered comments on the proposal will
not normally be informed of the decision. The outcome of decisions
can be found using our
weekly application lists.
If it was necessary to refuse permission or to add condition to
a permission the reason will be clearly explained and if there are
any queries then a planning officer will be available to answer
them.
A copy of the decision is available for public inspection.
Details of the minutes and agendas of meetings of the
Development Panel can be accessed via
Development Panel.
Appeals against decisions
There is a right of appeal against a refusal of planning
permission. A similar right exists in respect of conditions that
might have been added to a permission. Details of how to appeal
will be given with the decision notice.
Even if an appeal has been lodged the council is willing, when
appropriate, to see if the reason for refusal can be overcome and a
new application submitted.
Only the applicant has a right of appeal. There is no third
party right of appeal.
For further information on rights of appeal or the various forms
that an appeal takes, visit www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk.
Search for an application
Information on the most recent applications to be received can
be found in our
weekly lists of applications,
major development list and
search planning applications pages.
If you then have any particular questions regarding the
application then do not hesitate to get in touch. It will enable a
prompter response if you quote the particular application reference
number.
Commenting on a planning application
Anybody can offer comments on planning applications. The
comments can either be in support of or against a proposal. Regard
is always had to the comments of people who might be affected by
development. The Council welcomes such involvement from its
residents.
Comments must be put in writing to the Planning Manager at
Allerdale House. Comments should be restricted to the merits of the
development proposed. It is desirable that comments are submitted
on line either by email to planning@allerdale.gov.uk or
online through our
planning application search.
Any comments received will be placed on the planning files and
will be available for public inspection.
There is a limited time to make comments. Comments received
after that time may not be taken account of.