What is it?
The Council encourages pre-application discussions between the applicants and its planning staff in advance of making an application for new development. This enables the identification of issues early in the process and allows for an effective and efficient approach towards processing applications, particularly in confirming what information is necessary to effectively assess an application.
Although the Council of the Isles of Scilly do not currently charge for this service, it is something that we may introduce in the near future. Most Local Planning Authorities do make discretionary charges for certain services, one of which is pre-application discussions.
The intention of pre-application advice is to give prospective applicants the opportunity to engage with and receive feedback from the Planning Authority on their proposals. This should help improve the quality of an application but can also help to avoid unnecessary expense and time.
It is important to note that the pre-application advice is not a formal decision, is strictly without prejudice to Planning Authority's determination of any planning application and does not guarantee any future application will be successful.
How to get Pre-Application Advice?
In Person: We offer bookable slots to come and speak to us in person. Please see our pages Bookable Planning Advice Service.
In Writing: If you want to write to us with your proposals and send through initial sketches or plans then please email us at planning@scilly.gov.uk and we will log your enquiry, send you an acknowledgement and an informal response will follow, usually within 2-3 weeks. If you write to us using non-digital means then please post your enquiry to :
Planning Department (Pre-Application Advice)
Council of the Isles of Scilly
Porth Mellon Enterprise Centre
Porth Mellon Industrial Estate
Hugh Town
St Mary's
Isles of Scilly
TR21 0JY
More Information
For more general information on planning and pre-application matters please visit the Governments website for Guidance on Before Submitting an Application.