The Development Team Service

The Development Team Service (DTS) is a bespoke service for large schemes that are likely to raise complex issues that will need to be worked through in a logical manner. 

The opportunity to obtain good quality advice that will carry weight in the decision-making process is a particularly worthwhile investment. 

This is a comprehensive and personalised service including engaging with consultees at the pre-application stage and providing detailed written advice. 

This service is designed to be a transparent approach to decision making, involving, elected representatives, developers and the local community early. 

This is to help developers appreciate the wider community benefits that their developments can achieve, whilst positively promoting sustainable growth and increasing the certainty around planning decisions. 

The schemes that are likely to be suited to such a service are those that generally have an impact beyond their immediately adjoining sites (in view of their scale and/or strategic significance).

The DTS is recommended for the following development types.

  • Provision of 25 or more dwellings 
  • Provision of over 2,000m2 of commercial space 
  • Change of use of over 2,000m2 of floorspace 
  • Development of tall buildings that exceed the London Mayoral referral threshold 

Notwithstanding the above, it can sometimes be appropriate or necessary to elevate other types of development to a DTS process if complex and/or controversial planning issues, involving a variety of disciplines, are required to be discussed and resolved. 

What is the service? 

Once we have validated your request, your case will be allocated to a senior planning officer. We will make initial contact with you to arrange the Initiation Meeting within 5 working days of validation. 

We will aim to arrange that meeting within 10 working days of making contact, although it is recognised that the scheduling will need to align with the applicant’s team and officers’ diaries. 

The planning officer will assemble the project team to engage in the DTS process. We will manage the proposal as a project, with the planning officer coordinating the process and ensuring that all relevant issues are addressed at the appropriate times. 

The service consists of an initiation meeting, followed by a series of further meetings aligned to an agreed project plan. 

It also includes opportunities to present your emerging scheme to Havering’s Strategic Planning Committee (additional cost for smaller developments). Get advice on preparing for the meeting

Unlike other pre-application advice services, where the more information you can give us the more assistance we can give you, for this service we strongly encourage you to contact us to discuss your scheme before carrying out significant design or feasibility work. 

Therefore, you should contact us at the initial appraisal stage (RIBA Work Stage 0 Strategic Definition) so that you gain the most out of this service and the scheme’s evolution is informed by the input of the local planning authority. 

Full details about how the DTS service operates are set out in our DTS advice note

As with other pre-application services, the DTS requires up-front fee payment arrangements. 

With the DTS service, the Council will require prior payment of a fee covering the initiation meeting. 

Following this meeting and the preparation of a planning statement and project plan, the full cost of the service will be confirmed and set out in a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA). 

The Council will then require payment of 50 percent of these fees before any further meetings take place. No further meetings following the mid-point of the pre-application process (as determined by the project plan) will take place until the balance of the fees specified in the PPA have been paid. 

Pre-planning fees for larger proposals

Service

What you get for the fee

Not included in the fee

Fee including VAT

Fee excluding VAT

If you are considering a development of over 24 new residential units or non residential developments of more than 2000m2

Initiation meeting

Two-hour meeting with Senior Officer

Planning Statement

Project Plan

Planning Performance Agreement

Detailed planning response to proposal

£7,257

£6,048

Premium initiation meeting

As above plus:

One-hour early principles/introductory meeting with Planning Managers

Detailed planning response to proposal

£8,785

£7,321

After the Initiation meeting the below costs will be payable depending on the type of development

25-49 dwellings

 

Up to 3000 square metres non-residential

2 x pre-submission meetings

Written response to proposal

1 x post-submission meeting

Review of submission documentation

Presentation to Strategic Planning Committee

Quality Review Panel

Design Workshops

Additional PPA Meetings

External consultants

(charged separately)

 

£28,680

£23,900

50-100 dwellings

 

Up to 3001 - 5000 square metres non-residential

 

Mineral extraction up to 10 hectares

2 x pre-submission meetings

Written response to proposal

1 x post-submission meeting

Presentation to Strategic Planning Committee x 2

Review of submission documentation

Quality Review Panel

Design Workshops

Additional PPA Meetings

External consultants

(charged separately)

 

£43,080

£35,900

101-150 dwellings

 

5001-10000 square metres non-residential

 

Mineral extraction 10.1- 20 hectares

4 x pre-submission meetings

Written response to proposal

1 x post-submission meeting

Presentation to Strategic Planning Committee x 2

Review of submission documentation

Quality Review Panel

Design Workshops

Additional PPA Meetings

External consultants

(charged separately)

 

£57,360

£47,800

151-300 dwellings

 

Up to 20,000 square metres non-residential

 

Mineral extraction 20.1 – 30 hectares

6 x pre-submission PPA meetings

Written responses to proposal

2 x post-submission PPA meetings

 

Attendance at meetings with GLA

Presentation to Strategic Planning Committee x 2

Review of submission documentation

Quality Review Panel

Design Workshops

Additional PPA Meetings

External consultants

(charged separately)

 

£71,760

£59,800

301-600 dwellings

 

Mineral extraction more than 30 hectares

8 x pre-submission PPA meetings

Written response to proposal

3 x post-submission PPA meetings

 

Attendance at meetings with GLA

Presentation to Strategic Planning Committee x 2

Review of submission documentation

Quality Review Panel

Design Workshops

Additional PPA Meetings

External consultants

(charged separately)

 

£100,320

£83,600

601-900 dwellings

10 x pre-submission PPA meetings

Written response to proposal

3 x post-submission PPA meetings

 

Attendance at meetings with GLA

Presentation to Strategic Planning Committee x 2

Review of submission documentation

Quality Review Panel

Design Workshops

Additional PPA Meetings

External consultants

(charged separately)

 

£129,120 

£107,600

901+ dwellings

TBA x pre-submission PPA meetings

Written responses to proposal

TBA x post-submission PPA meetings

 

Attendance at meetings with GLA

Presentation to Strategic Planning Committee x 2

Review of submission documentation

Quality Review Panel

Design Workshops

Additional PPA Meetings

External consultants

(charged separately)

 

From £143,040

From £119,200

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