The Planning Helpdesk is part of the Planning department at Western Way and is available to answer planning related questions either by telephone, in person or by mail.
We operate a duty planning officer rota which makes sure an experienced planning officer is available to aid the helpdesk team in answering enquiries.
The duty planning officer:
- provides general advice on the planning process and policies. This advice is oral and free, regardless of the type of proposal;
- cannot provide site-specific advice;
- is available at West Suffolk House from Monday to Friday between the hours of 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30 pm to 4pm.
There is only one Duty Planner available and they deal with each enquiry in turn, so there may be a short wait before they are able to see you. Pre-arranged meetings with the Duty Planner are not possible and it is advisable to phone before setting off to make sure an officer will be available.
On the 1 September 2010 St Edmundsbury Borough Council introduced fees for providing pre-application advice. If you would like to receive a response to your email/letter regarding your proposed scheme you will need to make a payment to St Edmundsbury Borough Council accompanied by the pre application form, and supporting documentation as detailed on the pre application planning advice page
Once we have received the fee an officer will be allocated your enquiry. A response will be sent to you within 20 working days of receipt of the fee and all necessary information.
Please note it is not possible to have applications checked or validated by an officer in reception.
The application must be handed in to reception. It will then be looked at by the technical team as soon as possible. They will contact you if any information is missing.
Validating an application is a complex process and it can only be done properly with full access to all the constraints, site history and procedures. This is not possible in reception. To ensure a fair service to all we must deal with each application in turn including the applications received by post and online.
For a fee we are able to provide copies of decision notices and Ordnance Survey (OS) site location plans, please note that OS maps are also available from other authorised OS providers, a list of which is available from the Planning Helpdesk. The helpdesk is also able to provide assistance if you wish to check a property’s planning history.
If you wish to view application files from 1995 to 2008, please note that 24 hours notice is required in order for the relevant file to be available.
The Helpdesk is open Monday to Friday 8.45am- 5pm.
Contact details
Planning Helpdesk
West Suffolk House
Western Way
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP33 3YU
Phone:01284 757675
Fax:01284 757374
Email: planning.helpdesk@stedsbc.gov.uk
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