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How to make your Planning Application
The information on this page is also available as a leaflet that can be obtained from Planning Services.
These notes are intended to help you with your application for planning consent; please read them carefully before completing any forms. If you wish to discuss your proposals with a planning officer before completing an application or if you are unsure about what to do, it may be helpful to make an appointment to call at the Development Control Unit in the Environment Services Department, at the Council House, Solihull.
You may wish to seek separate professional advice on the submission of your application using a consultant architect, planner surveyor or other agent. If the form is submitted by an agent, all correspondence from this department will be sent to him/her - please give the name of the partner/associate/employee who can be contacted by telephone if necessary.
Separate booklets are available which may help you decide whether or not planning permission is required.
If you are in doubt whether your project requires planning permission you may apply to the Council to determine the issue. A separate form is available for the purpose. Planning advice is also available from the Planning Portal or Planning Aid.
Note. It is the Council who will make the decision on your planning application and any advice or comments by officers are not binding on the Council
Submitting Your Application
Before completing any forms, please read all the notes carefully. If the forms are not filled in correctly, or the required information is not submitted, processing of your application is likely to be delayed.
It is important that six forms are completed and six copies of all drawings supplied. Your completed application may be posted or hand delivered to the address given below:
Which Type of Application?
There are several types of application and you should be sure which type of consent you are seeking. If the information required does not fit the circumstances of your case, or if you wish to make a different type of application you should seek further advice from the Development Control Unit. A covering letter explaining more details of the proposal and it's background and justification is useful and often essential.
1. Householder Application
This form should only be used for applications for extensions and alterations to private dwelling houses, for example:
- Extensions, including conservatories and garages
- Detached garages or out buildings in gardens of houses .
- New or altered vehicle access onto a main road.
- Garden boundary walls or fences.
- Satellite dishes
2. Planning Application for Permission to Develop land
This form is more detailed and should be used for most types of development including the following categories:-
Full Planning Permission - For most development such as making a change of use of land or buildings, or carrying out works or operations or erection of buildings. It also includes the erection of new dwellings and sub-division of dwellings into flats.
Outline Planning Permission - if you wish to know whether planning permission will be given, in principle, for the erection of buildings before you have detailed plans prepared. It will help the Council if you can give as much information as possible with illustrative plans, sketches and written material in support of your proposal. Outline permission cannot be given for a change of use.
Approval of reserved matters - where outline permission has been granted, you may make application for approval of any matters of detail which were "reserved" by that permission provided that it is made within the time limits specified in the outline consent. The outline permission will lapse if details of reserved matters have not been submitted to the Council within the period specified in that permission. The site must be no greater than that which was granted outline permission.
Renewal of temporary permission or release from conditional permission - this is needed if you wish to apply for- permission to retain works or to continue a use without complying with a condition imposed on a previous permission including a temporary permission.
Renewal of time limited permission - all permissions require submission of reserved matters and/or the development to commence within a specified period, usually 3 or 5 years respectively. Application can be made for renewal before the appropriate time limit expires.
Additional information - Supplementary information may be requested after you have submitted your application. It will also be helpful and may avoid delay if you also include copies of any previous correspondence or notes of any discussions with officers by way of background to the application.
Additional supplementary forms giving detailed information should also be used for eg. new housing, industrial or commercial development, mineral working or waste tipping. Ask the Development Control Unit for assistance if necessary.
Separate application forms are necessary for the following for which leaflets/advice are available as required:-
- Listed Building consent
- Conservation Area consent
- Advertisement consent
- Certificate of lawfulness for existing use or development
- Certificate of lawfulness of proposed use or development
- Prior Notification of Agricultural development
- Prior Notification of Demolition
- Prior Notification of Telecommunication Development
- Carrying out works on trees covered by Preservation Orders
- Carrying out works on trees in Conservation Areas
Download any of these forms on line.
Other Permissions
Separate permission may be required under Building Regulations. This is not the same as planning permission since it involves the control of actual building works such as structural stability, fire resistance, ventilation etc, rather than the siting design and external appearance of the building. You should contact the Council's Building Control Service for details.
If the development involves the provision of gas, electricity, water or telephone services you should inform the appropriate organisation as soon as possible.
It is up to you to ensure that you have all the necessary consents before starting work.
Ownership Certificate
When making a planning application, you must state the ownership of the application site. An appropriate "ownership" certificate must accompany your application. And section is provided on the householder application form itself for this purpose. Alternatively, separate forms are available from the Council.
Certificate A should be used if the applicant was the sole owner of all the land concerned 21 days before the date of the application and if no part of the land forms an agricultural holding.
An owner means a person having a freehold interest or a leasehold interest with at least 7 years unexpired.
If this is not the case or if any part of the proposal is to be built on neighbouring land eg. foundations or overhanging eaves, you will have to give notice to all other owners and agricultural tenants and complete Certificate B.
If you are unable to do this you must use Certificate C or D as appropriate having first taken the steps they describe. Please ask for assistance if necessary.
Does planning permission override everything else?
Planning permission does not give you the right to enter land or carry out works not in your ownership. Planning Permission is only the approval of your proposal by the Council as Local Planning Authority. You may still need to obtain the land owners permission. In any event it would be courteous if where possible, you talked to neighbours about your proposal before submitting, your application. Planning permission does not affect anyone else's rights.
Drawings and Plans
Six copies of the following drawings and plans must accompany your application. You are strongly advised to obtain professional help in the Preparation of these unless you have the experience yourself.
IMPORTANT - Remember
All plans must be accurate You should survey the site to ensure all features are noted on plans and that all buildings will fit on the site as depicted. Please note that drawings or other information may be requested as necessary.
Location Plan- You must submit a location plan with your application showing the site and adjoining properties and roads, with a red line drawn around the edge of the site. The scale should be not less than 1: 1250 (1:2500 in rural areas) and show the direction of north. If the applicant owns or controls any adjoining land, this must be edged in blue.
Copies of ordinance survey plans for this purpose can be obtained from the Council. Details and charges are available on request.
Site or Block Plan - A site or block plan of a scale of 1:500 or 1:200 is also required showing the proposals in relation to site boundaries and other buildings within the site. It should show positions of all buildings and highways and access points on land adjoining the application site and include the position and spread of all trees, existing or proposed, within or just outside the site as well as any walling or fencing where proposed. Layout of driveways and car parks should also be included here. Also show the position of any windows in neighbouring properties which are nearest to the proposal.
Building Drawings - Plans should be sufficient in detail to give a precise and clear picture of any new building/ proposal and distinctively show new intended work. Detailed drawings and building plans should normally be to a scale of 1:100 or 1:50 and they should include:
Floor Plans - existing and proposed plans of each storey of a building indicating the amount of floor space to be used for different purposes, (floor plans should be included for changes of use).
Elevations - showing all sides of the proposal including the exact position of windows, doors and other features.
Roof Plans - where there are lots of different roof shapes/slopes a roof plan will be needed to show how the roof is to be formed.
Materials to he used externally on walls and roofs (manufacturers name, type and colour) should also be specified.
Sample Application Drawings
Select this image to view sample drawings 
Fees
A fee is payable to the Council on submission of most planning applications. A scale of fees is available from the Council and if you have any doubts as to the correct fee, please contact the Development Control Unit. You should also complete a fee form to confirm how much you are paying and return it with your application.
Publicity, Notification and Consultation
Apart from Prior Notification applications, where the applicant must display a site notice before submission, it is the Council 's responsibility to carry out any necessary publicity procedures for notifying neighbours and to consult with any relevant organisation. In some cases, especially in relation to Listed Buildings the necessary consultation period may be quite lengthy.
Rights of Appeal
You have a right to appeal against a lack of decision by the Council within the statutory time limit (usually 8 weeks) and you will be advised about that when your application is acknowledged. You may also appeal against the decision on your application if you think it is wrong. You will be advised about those rights with your decision letter.
Customer Assurances
The Council undertakes to deal with your application promptly and efficiently. A separate leaflet explains the assurances we give and how you can complain if you do not think we have handled the matter properly.
Checklist
Before you submit your planning application use this list to check that you have the necessary documents:-
- Six completed application forms
- Six completed supplementary forms (if necessary)
- Six copies of location plan and block plan
- Six copies of all detailed drawings
- One completed certificate of owner-ship (as applicable)
- One Fee Form
- The correct fee (cheques made payable to Solihull MBC)
- Covering letter giving more details, justification or background