South Gloucestershire Council is committed to providing an efficient, effective and project managed approach to bringing forward proposals for sustainable development and design quality, through the policy development and development control processes. In order to improve service for the larger major development sites, the council has established a multi-disciplinary major sites team that advises on and contributes to the development of site specific planning policy, provides pre-application advice and manages planning applications through the development control process. The team includes planning policy and development management officers, along with specialist advisors on transport and urban and landscape design, and has access to other specialist advice as necessary.
- If you have an enquiry relating to a proposed planning application for a development that is over 50 dwellings or 2hectares for a residential site, or over 5,000sqm floorspace or 1ha for non residential site please contact the, please contact the Major Sites Team at MajorSites@southglos.gov.uk. Once we understand the nature of your enquiry, you will be allocated a single point of contact lead officer, who will manage the project and project team for the Council. If your enquiry relates to proposals below these thresholds, please contact Development Services.
- For prospective sites that are either outside and or contrary to currently adopted planning policy, and in line with procedures for handling strategic sites in PPS 12 and South Gloucestershire Council’s Adopted Statement of Community Involvement, the Council encourages engagement with land owners and developers to make representations through the Core Strategy process. Please contact the Spatial Planning Team at planningldf@southglos.gov.uk or see our Local Development Framework Page by copying and pasting the following link into your address bar: www.southglos.gov.uk/ldf
- For prospective major site proposals that are consistent with adopted planning policy as contained in the Adopted Local Plan, the Adopted Statement of Community Involvement requires engagement with key stakeholders in the preparation of a Concept Statement to set out the strategic development principals for the site. This is required prior to any planning application coming forward. Please see the Statement of Community Involvement in the 'Read More' section to the right of this page.
Planning Performance Agreements
As a part of our commitment to improving customer service, to give greater certainty in programming for the development of proposals for major schemes, and to meet government targets on the determination of planning applications, the Council has approved a Planning Performance Agreement Charter. This promotes a partnership approach to bringing forward development proposals and ensuring that planning decisions are made in a timely manner. A Planning Performance Agreement will involve the development of a project plan and timetable, which is formally agreed and signed off by the Council, developer and other key stakeholders as necessary. Where such an agreement is not in place, the Charter will commit the Council to determining planning applications within the national target timeframe of 13 weeks wherever possible.
Please note that a Planning Performance Agreement is only suitable for use where development proposals are in principle considered to accord with policies in the Local Development Framework.
The Charter accords with South Gloucestershire Council’s Adopted Statement of Community Involvement, and will not result in any changes to the processes whereby local residents and other stakeholders are consulted on policy development or planning applications. For further details please see the 'Read More' and 'More in this topic' sections to the right of this page.