Planning customer services standards

Our Customer Charter sets out a standard of service that we aspire to deliver:

General service quality

• Ensure that all staff are helpful, well informed, and properly trained.
• Have a duty officer available every working day between 10am and 1pm.
• Ensure that up-to-date information on the service and current applications for planning approval are made available for inspection
• Ensure that enquirers can contact an officer responsible for their area during office hours over the telephone. Officers will respond to left messages within 24 hours (or the following Monday).
• Ensure all letters are responded to within 10 working days of receipt.

Pre-application discussions

• Actively promote pre-application discussions.
• Involve both Building Control and Development Control Officers when appropriate.
• Provide a pre-application consultation service for Planning and Building Control.

Processing applications

• Process applications in accordance with the various relevant statutory requirements, including publicity and consultations and apply consistently the provisions of the Eden Local Plan and the Building Regulations throughout the Eden District area.

Processing building regulations applications 

• Provide a same day inspection service for requests received before 10.30am, or within the statutory time period where this is not possible
• Inspect all key elements of work and adapt our inspection service to meet developers' needs.
• Provide advice where contraventions are found and issue a completion certificate, on request, when works are satisfactorily completed.

Processing planning applications

• Acknowledge in writing the receipt of all applications within 3 working days.
• Advise in writing if an application is incomplete or invalid within 5 working days.
• Make available our publicity policy.
• Persons advised of a planning application will be given 21 days to comment. If significant changes are made to the application, neighbours will be contacted again and given a further 14 days to comment.
• Acknowledge any written representations made on proposals within 3 working days, and subsequently advise those who have made such representations of the eventual decision within 10 working days of it being issued.
• Place copies of valid applications in the statutory register within 3 working days of receipt.
• Ensure that sites of planning proposals are visited by the Case Officer within 2 weeks of the receipt of the valid application;
• Provide the opportunity for making a Committee presentation to any person objecting in writing to a planning application within the tie period given.
• Determine at least 80% of all planning applications within 8 weeks.
• Forward decision notices on determined applications within 3 working days.
• Notify applicants in writing where it is not possible to give a decision within 8 weeks of receipt and notify the outcome to those making representations.
• Comply with the timetables set down by Central Government concerning appeals.
• Integrated enforcement.
• Act proactively to reduce the likelihood of breaches occurring.
• Approach and address alleged breaches of control with an open mind.
• Make available the adopted Enforcement Policy.
• Acknowledge all complaints within 3 working days.
• Inspect alleged breaches of control within 15 working days.
• Notify complainants of the decision to authorise formal enforcement action within 10 working days.

Dangerous structures/buildings

• Provide a 24-hour call-out service.
• Deal with all notifications received concerning demolitions within ten days.

Feedback and performance

• Collect and publish performance statistics.
• Carry out satisfaction surveys.
• Monitor complaints and amend our procedures accordingly.

If you have any comments to make about the Planning web pages, or the service, please contact Development Management.

Further planning queries

If you have any planning further queries contact the Duty Planning Officer on the details below.