Understanding Leicestershire Planning and Preparing the Right Application

How to search the county planning register, understand which authority handles your proposal and obtain experienced support before submitting an application.

Searching for Leicestershire planning permission can be more complicated than searching in a single borough or district. This is because Leicestershire operates a two-tier planning system in which the county council and the seven district or borough councils have different responsibilities.

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Leicestershire County Council primarily determines applications involving mineral extraction, waste management and development undertaken by the county council itself. Most house extensions, loft conversions, housing developments, commercial premises and changes of use are handled by the appropriate district or borough planning authority.

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Planning Application Services can help establish which authority should receive an application, search the relevant planning history and prepare the plans and supporting information needed for submission.

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Start by Identifying the Correct Planning Authority

Before searching a register or preparing drawings, it is important to establish who is responsible for the proposal.

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Leicestershire County Council deals with applications relating to:

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• Mineral extraction and quarrying

• Mineral processing and associated development

• Waste transfer, treatment and recycling facilities

• Landfill and waste disposal sites

• Development undertaken by Leicestershire County Council

• Certain school, highway and public infrastructure projects

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For most other forms of Leicestershire planning, the application will normally be determined by one of the seven district or borough councils:

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• Blaby District Council

• Charnwood Borough Council

• Harborough District Council

• Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council

• Melton Borough Council

• North West Leicestershire District Council

• Oadby and Wigston Borough Council

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Properties within Leicester itself come under Leicester City Council rather than Leicestershire County Council.

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This distinction matters because searching the wrong register may produce no results, even where a property has an extensive planning history.

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Searching the Leicestershire Planning Register

The county’s online register contains electronically held records for minerals, waste and county council development.

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When carrying out a Leicestershire planning search, begin with the planning application reference whenever it is available. This is normally the quickest way to locate the correct record.

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Where the reference is unknown, search using the development site, location or other available application details. It may be necessary to try a shortened address, the name of the site, the road name or keywords from the development description.

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Once an application has been located, review the available documents carefully. Depending on the age and type of application, the register may contain:

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• Application forms

• Site location plans

• Existing and proposed site layouts

• Building plans and elevations

• Planning and environmental statements

• Transport and access information

• Consultation responses

• Planning officer reports

• Decision notices

• Planning conditions

• Revised plans and supporting documents

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The county council warns that its register is not a complete replacement for a formal land search. Not every historic document is available electronically, particularly for permissions granted before 2011.

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For a house extension, loft conversion, new home, shop, office or ordinary change of use, the correct search will normally be through the relevant district or borough council’s planning register rather than the county register.

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What Previous Planning Records Can Reveal

A planning history search should do more than confirm whether an application was approved or refused.

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Earlier records can help identify:

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• The established use of the site

• Previous planning restrictions or conditions

• Earlier mineral or waste operations

• Approved access routes and vehicle movements

• Environmental or ecological constraints

• Previous objections from consultees

• Reasons for refusal

• Requirements for restoration or aftercare

• The drawings and reports expected for similar proposals

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Previous decisions can provide valuable background, but they do not guarantee that a new application for Leicestershire planning permission will be approved. Policies, environmental requirements and the circumstances of the site may have changed.

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Different Types of Leicestershire Planning Applications

The application route must match the nature and status of the development.

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Minerals Applications

Minerals applications can include quarrying, mineral extraction, processing plants, site extensions and changes to existing mineral operations.

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These proposals may require detailed information about:

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• The extent and depth of extraction

• Proposed output and operating period

• Processing equipment

• Access and HGV movements

• Noise, dust and vibration

• Landscape effects

• Ecology and biodiversity

• Site restoration and aftercare

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Waste Planning Applications

Waste applications can include recycling centres, transfer stations, treatment facilities, landfill operations and changes to existing waste sites.

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The submission may need to explain the types and quantities of waste, processing methods, hours of operation, vehicle movements, environmental effects and mitigation measures.

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County Council Development

Leicestershire County Council also determines planning applications for its own development. This can include certain schools, public buildings, highway-related schemes and other council infrastructure.

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Changes to Existing Permissions

Not every proposal requires an entirely new application. Depending on the circumstances, the appropriate route might involve:

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• Variation or removal of a planning condition

• Approval of details required by a condition

• A non-material amendment

• An extension or alteration to an approved site

• Retrospective planning permission

• Renewal or replacement of an earlier permission

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Choosing the wrong application route can result in validation delays or the need to prepare a new submission.

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Plans and Drawings for All Types of Projects

Planning Application Services has more than 40 years of experience in residential design, planning and property-related consultancy.

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PAS can provide plans and drawings for projects ranging from straightforward home alterations to larger residential, commercial and mixed-use developments. These include:

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• House extensions and loft conversions

• Garage conversions and garden buildings

• New homes and replacement dwellings

• Flats, HMOs and property subdivisions

• Commercial and mixed-use projects

• Changes of use

• Listed buildings and conservation projects

• Replacement windows and external alterations

• Lawful Development Certificates

• Retrospective planning applications

• Waste, operational and specialist development proposals

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Depending on the application, the drawing package can include location plans, block plans, measured surveys, floor plans, elevations, roof plans, sections, site layouts and detailed architectural drawings.

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For specialist mineral, waste or environmental proposals, PAS can help define the planning package and coordinate the architectural information with input from environmental, transport, ecological or other specialist consultants where required.

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Planning Consultancy Before Drawings Are Finalised

Good Leicestershire planning work begins before an application form is completed.

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PAS can undertake a desktop planning assessment to examine:

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• Which authority should determine the application

• The site’s planning history

• Previous approvals and refusals

• Relevant local and national policies

• The principle of the proposed development

• Access and highway considerations

• Heritage, ecology or landscape constraints

• The plans and specialist reports likely to be required

• Whether pre-application advice would be beneficial

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This early review can prevent time being spent designing a proposal that conflicts with an important policy or site constraint.

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It is particularly valuable for new development, property conversions, commercial schemes, rural sites, waste operations and projects with a complicated planning history.

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Pre-Application Advice Before Submission

Leicestershire County Council encourages applicants to seek pre-application advice before submitting county matter applications. Its service covers minerals and waste development and requires enough information for officers to understand the site and proposal.

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The council may require:

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• A site location plan

• A proposed site layout

• Details of access arrangements

• Site area and proposed floorspace

• Waste types, quantities and processes

• Mineral extraction and processing details

• Vehicle and HGV movements

• Sketch elevations or information about building scale

• Photographs of the site and existing development

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PAS can prepare the initial plans, review the planning position and assemble the information needed for a pre-application enquiry.

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We can also provide independent pre-application planning advice before approaching the council. This can be a faster way to identify obvious difficulties, consider alternative designs and decide whether a formal council enquiry is justified.

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Pre-application advice cannot guarantee approval, but it can help expose important issues before a full application is prepared.

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Preparing and Submitting the Application

Once the correct planning route has been established, PAS can coordinate the application from initial research through to submission.

The service can include:

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• Searching the appropriate planning register

• Reviewing the site’s planning history

• Identifying the relevant authority

• Advising on the application type

• Preparing existing and proposed plans

• Producing location and site plans

• Preparing planning or design statements

• Coordinating specialist reports

• Checking validation requirements

• Completing and submitting the application

• Liaising with the authority during validation

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Leicestershire County Council recommends submitting waste and county development applications electronically through the national Planning Portal. The Planning Team can also confirm whether a county application is necessary.

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Planning Application Support

Planning Application Services can help clients search Leicestershire planning records, establish whether an application should be made to the county council or a district authority, prepare plans for all types of projects and provide experienced consultancy and pre-application advice.

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PAS can also assemble and submit applications for Leicestershire planning permission, coordinating the drawings, forms, statements and specialist documents required for a clear and properly supported submission.