Pre-application advice and general queries
Pre-application advice and general queries
Talking to us about your project before you apply for planning permission can help you create an application that meets all requirements and avoids delays.
We offer various services - the best one for you depends on:
- how complex your needs are
- the size of your development
- how quickly you need help.
General queries
Get information from a Business Support Officer or Planning Officer within three working days. It’s ideal for:
- Potential buyers
- Those preparing development proposals, including pre-application queries or planning applications.
Please note: This service cannot confirm if you need planning permission. To find out, apply for a Lawful Development Certificate via the Planning Portal.
When to use this service
Examples of general queries we can help with:
- Confirming if a site is in a Conservation Area or has a Tree Preservation Order on it
- Listing site constraints (for example, Green Belt, Area of Archaeological Importance)
- Providing a full site history breakdown or conditions attached to a planning permission
- Determining what type of planning application is required
- Confirming whether there is any live enforcement investigation on a site
- Checking enforcement records, providing details of compliance or case closure emails, or requesting an enforcement notice withdrawal.
For Completion Certificates and other queries relating to Building Control, please email building.control@hertfordshirebc.co.uk.
Cost
- General queries: £80
- Requesting an enforcement notice withdrawal: £250
- Checking records and providing details of compliance check and case closure: £300
If you have specific proposals or plans to discuss, please use our pre-application service (below).
How to apply
To make a general query, please fill in our online form:
Pre-application advice
Get an informal discussion with a Planning Officer before you submit an application. This helps save time and money, reduce invalid applications, and speed up decisions.
When to use this service
This service is for detailed, specific proposals, such as:
- Checking the likelihood of planning permission approval
- Exploring development possibilities for a piece of land
- Guidance on changing land use or amending an existing permission.
As part of this service, we will also provide instructions on next steps/validation requirements. For full details, please see the our 
Pre-application advice pack (PDF 362KB).
Please note: For large-scale developments, use our Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) service.
Key features
| Feature | General Query | Pre-Application Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Speed of response | Within three working days | 20 to 30 working days |
| What's provided |
|
|
| Amount of Officer time | Up to 30 minutes of research time | Several hours/days (depends on service used) |
Cost
| Type of property | Pre-application service | Cost (including VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Householder | Extensions, outbuildings, and so on - written advice only | £225 |
| Householder | Extensions, outbuildings, and so on - non-listed building | £450 |
| Householder | Extensions, outbuildings and so on - listed building | £550 |
| New dwellings | New single dwelling - written advice only | £400 |
| New dwellings | New single dwelling | £850 |
| New dwellings | Two to nine dwellings (new or converted) | £1,300 |
| New dwellings | 10 to 24 dwellings | £2,500 |
| New dwellings | 25 to 50 dwellings | £4,000 |
| New dwellings | More than 50 dwellings | Quote |
| Commercial/non residential | Up to 100 metres square | £475 |
| Commercial/non residential | Over 100 metres square - up to 300 metres square | £800 |
| Commercial/non residential | Over 300 metres square up to 1,000 metres square | £2,500 |
| Commercial/non residential | 1,000 metres square to 5,000 metres square | £3,500 |
| Commercial/non residential | Over 5,000 metres square | Quote |
How to apply
To apply for pre-application advice, please fill in our online form:
Apply now
Other services
Planning Performance Agreements
A Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) is a project management tool that helps parties work together to agree timescales, actions and resources for handling planning applications. They are particularly useful for determining large and/or complex planning applications. Find out more about PPAs.
Digital 3D modelling
Applicants of proposed major developments must submit digital 3D models as part of any pre-application discussions. Find out more about digital 3D modelling.
External advice
You may wish to consult other external organisations about your proposal. Some of these may have their own pre-application charges. See below for more information:
Page Last Updated: Tuesday, 03 June 2025 at 02:36 PM