Planning Development Advice and Guidance
During the design process, developers of residential or commercial sites need to incorporate a number of standards in the development, including provision for parking and refuse.
New development in the green belt
We often get calls from customers who are being offered the ‘chance’ to buy a piece of land within the Green Belt, with a view to building a new dwelling.
Please be aware that the development of new dwellings within the green belt is contrary to national and local planning policies, and will not be granted planning permission.
Parking standards
Local parking standards for Mole Valley are set out in the Mole Valley Local Plan 2020-2039 (Appendix 13).
However, Surrey County Council is the Highways Authority for Mole Valley providing guidance on highways issues including parking. They have produced Vehicular and Cycle Parking Guidance which sets out parking standards and levels of parking provision expected from new developments. Prospective developers are therefore advised to seek pre-application advice from Surrey County Council about parking requirements on a specific site.
Sustainable drainage (SuDS)
Sustainable drainage systems are required for all major planning applications in England.
Surrey County Council (SCC), in its capacity as Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), is a statutory consultee on surface water management drainage issues.
Details of Planning Advice for Sustainable Drainage Systems, and their pre-application advice service, can be found on the SCC website.
You can also find Sustainable Drainage System Design Guidance on the website.
Refuse and recycling arrangements
Joint Waste Solutions provide advice and guidance for developers to ensure that provisions for refuse and recycling services are made during the planning process.
Environment Pre-Application Advice
You can get environmental advice about construction and transport development proposals early in the planning process from Natural England and the Environment Agency. They can tell you about environmental issues and help you to deal with them.
More information can be found at: Developers: get environmental advice on your planning proposals – GOV.UK
Permitted Development (PD)
In most cases, you will also need planning permission to change the use of your premises, for example from a shop to an office or from a house to bedsits.
However, PD rights (i.e. planning permission is not required), among others, allow the change of use of offices (Class B1a) to residential (Class C3) use, provided the property is not listed, within a conservation area or a safety hazard area, and PD rights have not been removed with an Article 4 Direction.
The developer must submit details of the proposal to us, who then have 56 days to decide if prior approval is required.
Telecommunications
For more information about applications relating to telecommunication masts, please see
- Guidance Note for Prior Notification of Electronic Communications Network
- Code of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development in England