Free appointments with a planning professional

Uttlesford District Council is expanding and improving the planning service it offers to residents and small businesses. They will now be able to book a 15-minute appointment through the council website to speak to a planning officer about any smaller-scale development projects they are thinking about doing to their home or business.

Appointments will be available on a Monday and Thursday, between 2pm and 4pm.

This service - which will run initially as six-week pilot project - is part of the council's commitment to improving the planning service for individual residents and other small business users.

Cllr John Evans, Portfolio Holder for Planning, said: "Last year, following an extensive review, the council published a report containing a series of recommendations intended to support and improve the planning service.

"This new consultancy appointments system was one of those actions and is a big step forward in helping us to deliver a better and more efficient service for our residents and communities. Other actions by way of support to and improvement of the planning service will be rolled out over the coming months.

"We will be monitoring how people use the system over the next few weeks and use the feedback to change and shape it so that everybody involved gets what they need and benefit from it."

The planning appointments service is free and is aimed at residents and small businesses needing advice - it is not for planning professionals or agents and is not a substitute for the council's paid pre-application service.

The link to the booking system is accessible via www.uttlesford.gov.uk/planning-general-advice.

25 January 2022