Pre-application meeting agenda and the questions to ask
Pre-application advice is worth what you take out of it in writing. Here is the pack to send, an agenda ordered so the expensive questions come first, and the eight questions that produce answers you can use.
A pre-application meeting is worth what you take out of it in writing, and that depends almost entirely on the agenda you send beforehand. Officers have 45 minutes, a caseload and no obligation to answer questions you have not asked. Send a numbered agenda with the drawings a week ahead and you will get written answers on the points that matter. Turn up with a sketch and a hope, and you will get a polite discussion about the local plan.
Pre-application advice is not binding on the authority, because a council cannot fetter its discretion on a future application. Treat it as intelligence rather than as a commitment.
What to send before the meeting
The pack should be small and specific. Officers read what fits on a screen.
- A site location plan with the application boundary in red and any land in the same ownership in blue.
- Existing plans and elevations, or a measured survey extract, at a stated scale.
- Proposal drawings, even at sketch stage, with dimensions and storey heights.
- A schedule of accommodation: unit mix, floor areas, parking spaces, site area in hectares.
- A one-page constraints summary listing flood zone, conservation area, listed buildings within about 100 metres, tree constraints and any Article 4 direction.
- Your numbered questions, five to eight of them, each capable of a yes, a no or a figure.
Send it as one PDF with the questions on the first page. Where the fee scale offers a written response with or without a meeting, buy the meeting for anything where the principle is in doubt, and the written response alone for detail questions on an established principle.
Setting an agenda the officer will follow
Order the agenda so that the expensive questions come first. There is no point discussing window details for 20 minutes if the officer thinks the site is undevelopable in principle.
A sequence that works: the principle of development, then quantum and scale, then access and parking, then design and materials, then the evidence base and validation, then process and timetable. Put a time against each item and keep to it.
Two habits improve the meeting itself. Confirm at the start how the officer wants questions handled, because some prefer to run through the scheme first and take questions at the end. And ask, before the detail, whether any part of the proposal is unacceptable in principle, because it is the one answer that changes what you do next.
Questions that produce a written answer
Vague questions get vague answers. Compare "what do you think of the scale?" with "would a three-storey element on the northern part of the site, with a ridge at 9.5 metres, be acceptable in principle given the two-storey terrace opposite?" The second can be answered.
Questions worth asking in almost every case:
- Which development plan policies will be the determining ones, by number?
- Is the principle of this use acceptable on this site, or does it need to overcome a policy presumption?
- What density or unit numbers would you regard as the upper end here?
- Which items on the local validation list apply to this application?
- Which consultees will you refer this to, and are any of them likely to object?
- Will this be determined under delegated powers or at committee, on current thresholds?
- What section 106 contributions and heads of terms would you expect, and is the site liable for the levy?
- Are there survey seasons we need to plan around, for example bats or newts?
That last one saves more programme than any other. A scheme that needs bat emergence surveys cannot submit credible ecology evidence in November, whatever the officer says about the design.
Asking about the local validation list
This is the question architects most often skip and most often regret. Every authority publishes a local list alongside the national requirements, and the items differ. Ask the officer to confirm, in the written response, which local items apply and which can be scoped out.
Getting an item scoped out in writing is valuable. An officer confirming that a transport statement is not required for a scheme of this size, or that a heritage statement can be a short note because the listed building is 80 metres away behind a barn, removes a validation risk and a cost. Keep the email.
Where an item is required, ask what level of detail the authority expects. A Design and Access Statement for a nine-unit infill scheme is a very different document from one for a listed building conversion, and the officer will tell you which sections they actually read.
Testing the principle before the detail
For anything contentious, use the meeting to test the argument rather than to present the scheme. Say what you think the objection will be and ask whether that is the officer's concern too.
On a Green Belt site, ask whether the authority accepts the proposal is not inappropriate development before discussing openness. On a site with a heritage asset nearby, ask what level of harm the officer expects to find, because the answer determines whether the public benefits case needs to be built. On a viability-constrained scheme, ask which contributions the authority regards as non-negotiable, and see our note on the viability appraisal inputs to agree first for what to bring to that discussion.
Officers are usually straight about this when asked directly. They are rarely straight about it when asked to comment generally on a scheme.
Recording the meeting and circulating a note
Write the note the same day and send it within two working days, with a line inviting correction of anything misrecorded. Most officers will correct a factual error and stay silent on a judgement, which is itself informative.
Structure the note as agreed points, points where the officer expressed a view without agreement, points left open, and actions with owners. Attach the drawings that were discussed, dated, so that there is no argument later about which version the advice related to.
Where the authority issues its own written response, read it against your note and query any difference straight away. Where no written response is provided, your note becomes the record, and an unchallenged note sent to the officer carries real weight at appeal.
Using the response in the application
Put a short section in the Planning Statement headed with the pre-application reference, listing each point of advice and the response in the submitted scheme. Where you have not followed the advice, say so and give the reason. Officers respect a reasoned departure and resent a silent one.
Then check the submission against the validation answers before you press submit, item by item against the local list. PlanScope's report index sets out which of the 66 planning report types fit each situation, which helps when the officer names a document type you have not produced before.
For larger schemes, a Planning Performance Agreement replaces the single meeting with a programme, a named officer and agreed milestones. It costs more and it is usually worth it above about 50 units, because it buys the consultee engagement that a one-hour meeting cannot.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Pre-application advice does not bind the local planning authority, and PlanScope provides AI-assisted draft reports for planning applications. Reports should be reviewed before submission. We do not guarantee planning approval.
Frequently asked questions
Is pre-application advice binding on the council?
No. A local planning authority cannot fetter its discretion over a future application, so advice given at pre-application stage is an officer's view rather than a commitment. It still carries weight in practice, and a written response that a scheme is acceptable in principle is useful at appeal if the authority later changes position without reason.
What should I send before a pre-application meeting?
A location plan with the red line boundary, existing and proposed drawings at a stated scale, a schedule of accommodation with areas and unit numbers, a one-page constraints summary, and five to eight numbered questions each capable of a specific answer. Send it as a single PDF about a week ahead with the questions first.
How many questions should I ask?
Five to eight, ordered so the ones that could stop the scheme come first. Each should be answerable with a yes, a no or a figure. Questions about the determining policies, the validation list, likely consultee objections, committee or delegated determination, and survey seasons repay themselves on nearly every project.
Can I get validation requirements scoped out at pre-application stage?
Often yes, and it is worth asking explicitly. An officer confirming in writing that a particular local list item does not apply, or that a short note will suffice, removes both a cost and a validation risk. Keep the email and reference it in the covering letter when you submit.
Do I need a note of the meeting if the council issues a written response?
Yes. Write your own note the same day and send it within two working days inviting correction, then compare it against the council's response when it arrives and query any difference immediately. Where no written response is issued, an unchallenged note sent to the officer becomes the record.
When is a Planning Performance Agreement worth the cost?
Generally on larger or complex schemes, where a single meeting cannot cover the consultee engagement needed. It buys a programme, a named officer and agreed milestones rather than one hour of advice. Councils publish their own charging approach, so ask for the scope and the fee basis in writing before committing.
Sources and further reading
This article is general guidance about the planning system in England and, where stated, the rest of the UK. It is not legal or professional advice. Check your local planning authority’s validation requirements and take professional advice for your specific site.