Strategic development

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Types of advice

You can apply for a meeting with a senior planning officer to discuss your proposal. In most cases the meeting may also need to include a specialist officer from the Highway Authority.

As part of the application, you can also request advice on housing policy and planning policy.

Due to the size and scale of strategic developments, they are often long term projects that require a number of meetings.

At the initial meeting you can choose to enter into a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA), where we can agree a fee for a series of discussions.

However, you can apply for individual meetings outside of a PPA if you prefer.

The fee for the initial meeting depends on whether you have had advice from us before.

Fees for a new meeting

The fee for an online meeting with a Senior Planning Officer is £5,305.

The fee for an in-person/on-site meeting with a Senior Planning Officer is £5,835.

At the meeting you will have the option of agreeing a fee for a series of meetings, if this is appropriate.

Subsequent meetings

You can pay a reduced fee for follow-up meetings if you have: 

• already had a meeting in relation to the same site in the last three months
• received a refusal of planning permission for a similar development on the same site in the last three months

The fee for a subsequent online meeting with a Senior Planning Officer is £3,978.

The fee for a subsequent in-person/on-site meeting with a Senior Planning Officer is £4,375.

Highways advice

If you need to involve an officer from the Highway Authority, you will need to pay an  additional fee to Essex County Council. 

All fees are valid until 31 March 2025.