Proposed changes to approved drawingsDevelopment must be carried out strictly in accordance with that shown on the plans which form part of the planning permission. The Council, however, recognise that either before development commences, or even during the course of construction, the applicant may wish to make changes to that approved. Process In these circumstances the applicant should write to the Council together with an amended plan (site plan, elevation and/or floorplan as applicable) which clearly shows the proposed alterations. The Council will then consider if the proposed alterations are of such significance to require the submission of a fresh application or whether they can be considered as “a minor amendment to the permission”.There is now a nationally set charge for the consideration of such requests. The charge for householder proposals is £25 or £170 in any other case. The fee must be submitted together with the request in the form of a covering letter (or by completing the standard 1APP form) setting out the changes, plus the relevant plan(s).The decision of whether an alteration can be accepted as a minor amendment is made by planning officers under delegated authority. There is no third party notification or opportunity to comment on such requests. The Council will however make available any plans showing approved alterations on its web site once a decision has been made (as well as the Council’s confirmation letter).The Council will seek to reply to such requests within 14 days of receipt.What the Council will accept as a minor amendmentOnly very minor alterations to proposals will be accepted as an amendment to a planning permission. In assessing a request for approval of changes a key consideration will be, if those changes are accepted, without the need for the submission of a fresh application, will any third parties’ interests be reasonably prejudiced (in that they have not been given the opportunity to comment on these alterations).It is extremely unlikely that the following types of alterations would be acceptable :
Proposals which significantly increase the size, height or volume of an extension. In assessing whether the alteration is significant this will be done on a case by case basis particularly having regard to how close the extension is to the boundary and its likely impact on neighbouring properties. Increases in size of over 0.3 m to domestic extensions are very unlikely to be acceptable.
Alterations which extend a proposal beyond the Council’s adopted standards, or conflict with Government Guidance.
Changes to window and door openings where they result in the overlooking of adjoining properties either where it did not exist before or would be made materially worse.
Changes to window and door openings where they would require the imposition of a condition to ensure the retention of obscure glazing to make them acceptable.
Alteration of a flat roof to a pitched roof (whether mono pitch, hip or gable).
Relocating the position of a building.
Alterations to the site area.
Where amendments would conflict with the requirements of a planning condition which has been imposed on the consent (e.g. removing underfloor voids which may be required for flooding).
Amendments which would re-instate a feature which was objected to, and removed, as part of the original application.
Where cumulative minor amendments would result in a materially different scheme to that originally approved.
Any changes to ground levels.
Any changes which would affect existing trees or landscape features.
Amendments which would fail to preserve or enhance the character of a Conservation Area.
Amendments that would affect the historic fabric or setting of a listed building.
The following alterations however are often accepted as minor alterations to permission :
Reductions in overall size or height of an extension unless this results in a significant change in the appearance of the proposal.
Alterations to precise details of bricks and tiles specified in the application (unless it would have a significant material impact on the external appearance).
The processing of requests for alterations to approved plans are normally dealt with by the planning officer who processed the original application. His/her contact details were set out on the original letter notifying third parties of the receipt of the application. The case officer can also be contacted via the Council’s Customer Services Section - tel. 01784 451499Graphical Version l
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