Apply for planning permission

Before you apply for planning permission, have you:

• checked to see if you need permission
• sought advice using the pre-application service
• checked to see what you need to submit with your application
• calculated the correct fee
• obtained your site location plan

How to apply

For the majority of applications, you can apply online using the Planning Portal. 

Planning Portal is a service to submit planning applications electronically. Registration is easy and you can complete your application form, upload supporting documents and pay fees online.

Apply online using the Planning Portal

Please note: From 10th September 2018 applications that require a fee will incur a service charge of £16.67 +VAT and will not be released by the Planning Portal to us until payment has been received. You can find more information online.

Download application forms

• Paper application forms

This facility allows forms for any application type to be downloaded for submission to the council on paper if required. As not all application types can be applied for online, the Planning Portal provides a list of applications for which the online service is not yet available.

Planning fees

The easiest way to find the fee for an application is to use one of the following fee calculators.

• iApply fee calculator
• Planning Portal fee calculator

Encroachment onto neighbouring land

If your proposal encroaches onto land that is not in your ownership (for example, by the eaves or guttering overhanging a boundary, or new access through Highway land) you may not be able to proceed without your neighbour's agreement, even if you have planning permission. Please download the relevant Notice to Owners form.

• Notice to owners forms

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a planning charge on new housing and retail development that can be used by the local authority to help deliver infrastructure to support development in the area. It is a fixed, non-negotiable charge related to the size and type of chargeable development.

The CIL will effect residential developments that create new dwelling houses or additional floor space 100 square metres or over in Chester and the rural area and A1 retail space at Sealand Road, Chester and Cheshire Oaks, Ellesmere Port.

You can read more information on CIL here.

How can I pay for a planning application?

You can pay for a planning application by credit/debit card over the phone or when applying online using iApply.