Application process

 

Apply for planning permission on the Planning Portal

Download forms in PDF format at this link by selecting 'Newport City Council' and following the online instructions. 

Download guidance for submitting householder applications (pdf)

Application process - what happens next

Step 1 - receipt and registration

When a planning application is received it is checked to make sure it is valid. 

If the application is valid it will be registered and entered on the planning system . 

If the application is incomplete you will be notified within five working days of the reasons why the application is invalid, the name of the case officer and your right of appeal if applicable. 

You will normally be given 28 days to provide the information required to validate the application.   

An acknowledgement letter will be sent advising the name of the planning officer dealing with the application, your application number, and the date by which a decision should be made.

View the weekly list of registered planning applications

Step 2 - consultation

The consultation period allows anyone with an interest in a planning application to comment and usually starts within one week of the registration of an application and lasts for 21 days, after which time the application may be determined.

Any comments received after 21 days will be considered if the application has not been determined or, in the case of an application considered by Planning Committee, only representations received by midday on the Monday immediately before a Wednesday Planning Committee meeting will be considered.

Where amendments are made to a submission or additional information is submitted, re-consultation takes place for a period of 14 days. 

Comment on a planning application

Step 3 - site visit

The planning officer will visit the site and assess the impact of the application.

If an application is refused the applicant may be asked to provide additional information to help explain the proposal. 

The planning officer will prepare a report taking into account any views expressed during the consultation period, usually 4 to 8 weeks from the date that the application was submitted. 

Step 4 - if your proposal is unacceptable

If there are relatively minor alterations that could make the proposal acceptable, we will suggest this to you.

If you amend the proposal we may need to ask for more time to make a decision or may be able to add four weeks to the scheduled period for determination in accordance with current regulations. 

We may also need to re-notify neighbours and other consultees.

For major applications, such amendments will likely attract a fee.

A process of continuing amendments to an application which delays the decision-making process will not be supported where we are satisfied that we have enough information to make a decision.

There is normally no agreement to defer the application unless there is a belief that the applicant could amend it satisfactorily.

We will not normally enter into discussions if:

  • The proposal is unacceptable in principle
  • You would need a completely new design to overcome objections
  • You have chosen not to follow our pre-application advice
  • You did not ask us for pre-application advice
  • The development does not comply with our planning policies

The deadline for receipt of additional information or amendments will either be confirmed with the case officer or will be 10 working days before the scheduled committee date or five working days before the application expiry date or the scheduled delegated decision date, whichever is sooner. 

Step 5 - decision making

Section 106 legal agreements 

You may be asked to enter into a section 106 legal agreement/planning obligation to secure infrastructure payments or other works required to mitigate identified harm of a proposal. 

Read more about section 106 agreements

Read the Supplementary Planning Guidance on planning obligations (pdf) 

Once your written agreement to the Heads of Terms for section 106 has been received and a resolution made on the basis of such agreement, the local planning authority will not enter into any negotiations that seek to alter the Heads of Terms in terms of discounting agreed figures or altering agreed works due to, for example, viability reasons before the final Notice of Decision is issued.  

It is important that you check the Heads of Terms you receive thoroughly and if you have any questions about the figures or requirements included or the justification for them, you must raise these and satisfy yourself that the request is reasonable, relevant and necessary, before providing your written agreement to the Terms 

Any negotiations must take place before Heads of Terms are agreed by you and if you seek to discuss or re-negotiate section 106 Heads of Terms having agreed them in writing and having received a resolution (but not a decision notice), your application must be withdrawn to enable re-negotiation to take place. 

Failure to sign a section 106 within 3 months of any resolution being made may lead to your application being refused. 

Alternatively, you may proceed to complete the section 106, receive a Notice of Decision and then make a new submission to the authority that will enable altered terms to be negotiated. 

Any re-submissions will likely attract a new planning application fee. 

Newport City Council understands that in some cases changing economic conditions make sites economically unfeasible, potentially resulting in no development, no regeneration or no community benefits. 

In the event you agree Heads of Terms and a decision has been issued with a section 106 based upon these terms and the development is found to be unviable and cannot proceed, you may wish to seek effective re-negotiation with the council of planning obligations to help unlock stalled development.

The council can, voluntarily, agree to discuss section 106 amendments but please be advised that the re-negotiation of section 106 agreements is subject to a fee in the same way as pre-application advice. 

Please refer to Appendix 1 of the council’s pre-application advisory guidance notes (pdf) for more information.  

Most planning applications are decided by planning officers under delegated authority.

Major or contentious applications are usually decided by the Planning Committee. 

Step 6 - decision notices

The planning section aims to issue decision notices within 5 working days of the decision.

If the application is refused or a certificate not issued reasons will be provided.

If the application is granted there may be conditions attached which must be complied with accordingly.

If you are not happy with the decision or any conditions there is an appeal process.