Make a planning application
Contents
- Make a planning application
- Ordnance survey location and block plans
- Plan and drawing requirements
- Supporting documents and reports
Make a planning application
Preparing your application
If the application doesn't meet our design guidance and policies, we may need to refuse it - we can't complete design work on your behalf.
Pre-application advice can often help to resolve issues and save you time and expense. We offer a pre-application advice service to provide advice on policy and design issues.
Apply
Make sure the plans you submit are those that you want to undertake - even minor changes may need a fresh planning application subject to the same process.
We recommend submitting an application online as the Planning Portal will help make sure you've covered everything you need to.
A transaction fee may be charged.
You can also download and print an application form, but if we don't have the full information we need, your application could be delayed.
Guidance on the different types of application can be found on the Planning Portal.
Supporting information
All application information is available for public inspection. Before submitting your application please read our privacy notice for details of how your data is used.
Completing the application form is just part of the process, we will also need:
- Ownership certificates (part of the application form)
- Notice where Certificate B or C is signed
- Notice where Certificate C or D is signed
- Application fees
- Location and block plans
- Detail plans and drawings
- Design and access statement
- Fire statements
- Supporting documents
We prefer applications submitted online through the Planning Portal. But you can submit applications by email, on a disc or hard copy. If submitting a hard copy, this Authority requires only one original of any form, plans and documents.
In addition to applying for planning permission, other consents or Building Regulations may also be required.
Other requirements
Detailed requirements for some applications.
This SPD explains how biodiversity shall be integrated into the development process to ensure requirements are met - it sets out a biodiversity checklist that can be used to detect features that could be at risk and identify the surveys required. There is a step-by-step guide to building nature into development that should be followed.
There's a mandatory requirement of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain for:
- major applications from 12 February 2024
- small sites through the Environment Act from 2 April 2024
All qualifying applications from these dates (except householder applications such as extensions, and de minimis habitats) will need to complete a Biodiversity Net Gain metric.
These applications must produce a biodiversity metric that covers the application site.
Our explanatory notes confirm when in the planning process the documents are needed and set out the high strategic significance criteria in North Northamptonshire:
Biodiversity Metric 4.0 is a biodiversity accounting tool that can be used for calculating biodiversity net gain.
The Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits Special Protection Area and Ramsar site was formally classified by the UK government in 2011 and covers 1358 hectares in North and West Northamptonshire.
Special Protection Areas (SPA) provide increased protection and management for areas which are important for breeding, feeding, wintering or migration of rare and vulnerable species of birds.
A ‘Ramsar’ site is a wetland of international importance designated under the convention of wetlands of international importance, especially as a waterfowl habitat.
The Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar site boundaries for the Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits are identical, although the qualifying features are slightly different.
References to the SPA should therefore be interpreted as including the Ramsar site.
Residential developments
For residential developments which result in a net increase in the number of dwellings within 3km of the SPA, it is proposed to avoid and mitigate likely significant effect on the SPA by making a financial contribution per dwelling towards Strategic Access Management and Monitoring (SAMM) or other suitable infrastructure. This would reduce the adverse impact of people visiting the SPA through specific measures and monitoring.
The mitigation strategy identified a fixed contribution per dwelling (indexed linked, with a based date of 2016). As of 1 April 2025, the rate is £397.51.
The Wildlife Assessment Check is a free online tool, designed to help householders and smaller developers who are making planning applications, permitted developments or works to listed buildings to consider protected and priority species, as well as statutory designated sites that may be impacted by their works.
The partnership is made up of 19 national conservation, planning and development organisations.
Last updated 28 April 2025