Pre-planning application advice

Pre-application advice for large and complex developments

Get early planning advice from Brent Council before submitting an application for a larger, more complex or multi-unit development.

The council offers a pre‑application planning advice service to help you understand what planning permission you may need before you submit a formal application. This is a paid service, but it can be especially helpful if you are unsure about local planning rules, required documents, or whether your proposal is likely to be acceptable.

This information is for developers, landowners and applicants bringing forward proposals such as new homes, flat conversions, mixed-use schemes, commercial development, reserved matters, changes to existing permissions, telecommunications equipment or the discharge of planning conditions.

If you are planning a home extension or improvement to your own home, different options and fees apply. Use our homeowner planning guidance instead.

Why get pre-application advice

Pre-application advice can help you understand the main planning issues before you submit a formal application:

check whether your proposal is likely to be acceptable in principle
understand which planning policies and guidance apply
identify design, layout, access, sustainability or amenity issues early
find out what information, drawings and reports you may need
reduce the risk of delay, invalidation or refusal

Pre-application advice is informal. It does not guarantee that planning permission will be granted.

Request pre-application advice

You can request and pay for pre-application advice online. Choose the service that best matches the scale and type of your proposal.

Book our pre-planning application advice service

What to include with your request

The more information you provide, the more useful our advice can be.

For large or complex developments, you should include:

the site address
a description of the proposal
existing and proposed drawings, if available
a site location plan
photos of the site and surrounding area
details of the current and proposed use
the number of homes or amount of floorspace proposed
an urban design or site analysis, if the proposal is at design stage
any known planning history or site constraints
the specific questions you want advice on

For major or complex schemes, it is helpful to include early information on design approach, access, servicing, parking, amenity space, sustainability, affordable housing and potential infrastructure impacts.

Pre-application advice fees

Choose the service that best matches the scale and type of your proposal. This page covers developer pre-application advice from PREAPP 3 to PREAPP 12.

Service	Type of development	Fee	Response
PREAPP 3	Medium Minor development (2 to 4 homes / 100 – 499 sq.m.)	£1,731.60	Written and meeting
PREAPP 4	Large Minor development (5 to 9 homes / 500 – 999 sq.m.)	£3,060.00	Written and meeting
PREAPP 5	Small Major development (10 to 24 homes / 1,000 - 1,999 sq.m.)	£7,485.60	Written and meeting
PREAPP 6	Medium major development (25 to 49 homes / 2,000 – 3,999 sqm)	£8,917.20	Written and meeting
PREAPP 7	Large major development (50 to 149 homes / 3,000 – 4,999 sqm)	£12,236.40	Written and meeting
PREAPP 8	Strategic development (150 units + / 5,000 sqm)	£15,620.40	Written and meeting
PREAPP 9	Reserved matters (pursuant to an outline consent)	Half full price	Written and meeting
PREAPP 10	Telecommunication mast and equipment pre-app	£441.60	Written
PREAPP 11	Advise of discharge of planning condition (per condition)	£622.80	Written
PREAPP 12	Pre-app advice on varying of existing planning permission	Half full price	Written and meeting
PREAPP 1-2	Meeting	£195.60	Meeting
PREAPP 2-8	Revised submission from same applicant within 6 months of written feedback	Half full price
PREAPP 2-8	Multiple options for pre-application request	Half full price (in addition to full price)

Fees for significantly larger or complex schemes can be negotiated where a bespoke pre-application service is required. This also applies to project work.

Fees for multiple options and revisions

We will only be able to comment on one proposal under each pre-application enquiry.

Submission of multiple options will attract an additional fee of 50% of the selected pre-application service for each additional option.

We will consider one set of revised proposals from the same applicant, amended in response to our feedback and received within six months of the date of our written feedback, for an additional fee of 50% of the selected pre-application service.

Further revisions will not be considered unless part of a wholly new pre-application enquiry.

Strategic or complex developments

If your application involves the provision of 50 or more new homes or raises complex or unusual planning matters then a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) may be appropriate for your development.

In its simplest form, a PPA is a project management tool which sets out key meetings and timescales for the pre-application discussions and subsequent application. PPAs can also enable better collaboration and engagement, better working relationships and allow Planning Authorities to secure dedicated resources. This can lead to better applications and ultimately better development and places.

The Council will calculate the PPA fee based on the meetings or submissions that are captured in the PPA project plan. They are calculated using the Council’s fees and charges schedule, with the key types of meeting or review as follows:

Service	Fee
Initial full review of scheme	See Pre-app 5 to Pre-app 9 (above)
Subsequent full reviews	Half full price for pre-app category (above)
Issue related meeting	£2,994.00
Planning committee presentation*	£2,994.00
PPA Admin Fee (GLA Referral schemes)	£5,068.80
PPA Admin Fee (Non - Referral schemes over 50 homes/3000sqm )	£4,232.40
PPA Admin Fee (Under 50 homes/3000sqm )	£3,372.00
QRP/CRP Full Review Planning Fee	£2,478.00
QRP/CRP Chair Review Planning Fee	£1,465.20
QRP/CRP Workshop Review Planning Fee	£1,329.60

*Planning committee presentations are normally only undertaken for larger strategic schemes (those referrable to the Mayor of London) and those which raise complex or unusual planning matters.

If your proposal meets this criteria then please contact the Council to discuss whether a PPA is appropriate for your proposal.

Response times

For PREAPP 3 and PREAPP 4, we aim to provide a response within 20 working days of receiving your enquiry and fee. If this is not possible, we will contact you within 20 working days to agree a revised timeframe.

For PREAPP 5 to PREAPP 9, we will contact you within 5 working days of receiving your enquiry and fee to discuss the timeframe for responding to your enquiry. For more complex proposals, the response timetable may be agreed as part of a Planning Performance Agreement.

Planning advice from the Environmental Agency

The Environment Agency's Sustainable Places team offers planning advice relating to the water environment and waste management.

Download information on planning advice from the Environment Agency (.pdf, 353.6kB)

Before you submit

Before requesting pre-application advice, you should check:

the Brent Local Plan
relevant Supplementary Planning Documents
the planning policy map
any conservation, heritage, flood risk, ecology or transport constraints
whether your proposal is likely to need CIL or a section 106 agreement
You should also consider getting advice from a chartered planner, architect or surveyor before submitting your request.

Last updated 01/09/26