A Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) is between us (the local planning authority) and you (the person applying for planning advice). It is a way to help manage big or complicated building projects. We believe working together with developers, communities and other important people makes things better.
When a project has a PPA, you pay for the advice from planning officers and other Council experts. Our collaborative framework [PDF, 0.2MB] explains how we help guide developers before they are ready to apply for planning permission.
We will make a clear plan of meetings with experts and consultants to solve problems early. Having a PPA from the start helps keep things on time and organised. We would like the opportunity to work with you as soon as you have an idea of what you want to build, as this will make the most of our guidance. At your first meeting, we will talk about whether a PPA is right for your project. If it is, we will:
- work out what help you need, before you apply for planning permission
- agree on the cost, time, and who does what
- write a contract for both us (the local planning authority) and you (the applicant) to sign
- make sure future meetings follow what we have agreed
Using a PPA does not mean your planning application will be approved. But it will give your application the best chance.
How to apply
Please use our online form to enquire about a PPA for your project.
Fees
There is an initial fee of £270 (exclusive of VAT). This pays for the first work we do to work out if a PPA is right for you. Because this is a special service, the price can change based on how big, detailed or long the PPA is. We will talk to you about the cost before you agree to anything.
Officer hourly rates
Set out below is a table of our officer hourly rates (exclusive of VAT).
|
Officer |
Hourly rate |
|
Director Of Planning |
£340 |
|
Deputy Director of Planning |
£247 |
|
Manager (Delivery/ Strategic/ Policy/ Built and Natural Environment) |
£192 |
|
Team Leader (Strategic Sites, DM, Historic, Natural and Built Environment) |
£170 |
|
Principal Planning Officer Principal Specialist Officer |
£142 |
|
Senior Planning Officer Senior Specialist Officer |
£131 |
|
Planning Officer |
£118 |
|
Administration Officer |
£98 |
Agency staff rate will vary. These will range from £149 per hour to £157 per hour (excluding VAT).
Depending on the complexity of the case other charges may be applied and you will be informed of these at the time.
More information
Shared Planning Service performance agreement charter 2021 [PDF, 3.5MB].