Submitting your planning application

Having got pre-application advice you should now be clear about your scheme and ready to submit your planning application.

At this stage, if you haven’t already, you should consider employing a professional planning agent or architect to prepare your planning application for you. This is likely to be necessary if you are not able to prepare the detailed scale drawings or any other supporting information we have requested yourself.

During the pre-application advice process we will advise you on which application forms you need to complete and the appropriate planning application fee.

The Planning Portal – Electronic Submission

The most convenient way to submit your planning application is online via the  Planning Portal: Application Forms page.

Planning Portal offers a wide range of services and information on the planning system. Submitting your application via the Planning Portal is a quick and easy way to make an application and there is online guidance to help you through the process.

Please be aware from 10 September 2018, there will be a service charge for submitting some planning applications using the Planning Portal.

You can submit all your plans electronically if you have the facility to do so and you can obtain an electronic location plan from the Planning Portal too. If you cannot submit plans electronically we are happy for you to make the application online but send plans separately by post.

You can pay the planning fee electronically and there is a fee calculator on the Planning Portal. Please contact customer services using the general enquiries form to check you are submitting the correct fee.

Paper Submission

If you would prefer to complete a paper copy of the application form then they are available in the following ways: 

You can then post back your completed application with the correct fee to our Gainsborough office or deliver it in person to customer services. 

You can use our guide to submitting a valid application form to assist you with completing the paper application form to help ensure that it is valid.

Validation

When we receive your application it will go to our technical officers for registration and they will carry out the final validation checks to ensure it meets the national validation requirements.