1. No guarantee of approval. The Fast Track service delivers a decision within the specified timeframe but does not guarantee a grant of planning permission or to confirm lawfulness. The merits of the application or lawfulness are assessed in exactly the same way as any other application, applying the same material planning considerations, policies and tests. Payment of the Fast Track fee does not create any expectation of, or entitlement to, a favourable decision.
The timescales are determination within 10 working days for LDCP applications and 20 working days for Larger Home Extension applications. Both time periods start from the validation date or the payment of the required fast track fee, whichever is later.
2. No amendments. Once the Fast Track service has been confirmed, no amendments to plans, documents or supporting information will be sought or accepted. Where the case officer identifies that amendments are required to make the application acceptable, the Fast Track fee will not be refundable and the application will revert to the standard statutory determination period. Applicants should ensure their submission is complete and accurate before requesting the Fast Track service.
3. Payment deadline. The Fast Track fee must be received within five working days of the council's written acceptance email. Failure to pay within this period will result in the Fast Track request lapsing and the application reverting to the standard process. No Fast Track commitment is given until payment is confirmed received.
4. No payment exemptions. There are no exemptions from the Fast Track fee in any circumstances, including for applicants who qualify for an exemption from the statutory planning application fee (for example in connection with disabled adaptations). The Fast Track fee is a discretionary additional charge and fee exemption provisions do not apply to it.
5. Refund — council failure to meet target. Where the council fails to issue a decision within the applicable Fast Track target period and that failure is not attributable to any of the circumstances described in clauses 6 to 11 below, the applicant will be entitled to a 100% refund of the Fast Track fee. Refund requests must be made in writing to developmentcontrol@bexley.gov.uk and must include a full explanation of the grounds for the request. The statutory planning fee is not refundable.
6. Refund — no entitlement on withdrawal. The Fast Track fee will not be refunded where the application is withdrawn by the applicant or agent before a decision is issued, regardless of the stage at which withdrawal occurs.
7. Refund — agreed time extension. The Fast Track fee will not be refunded where a time extension to the determination period has been agreed in writing between the council and the applicant or agent. In agreeing a time extension the applicant waives the Fast Track determination target for the period of the extension.
8. Right to decline. The council reserves the right to decline a Fast Track request at any time prior to acceptance, having regard to the availability of officer resources and the complexity of the application. No fee is requested or taken before a Fast Track request is formally accepted in writing. Declined requests carry no right of appeal.
9. Statutory consultation requirements. All statutory consultation and notification requirements continue to apply, including neighbour notification and referral to statutory consultees. The Fast Track service does not modify, reduce or waive any statutory obligation.
10. Committee – The above application types do not fall within the Council's Committee Procedure Rules to be determined by Members and therefore the timescales should not be impacted by the Committee cycles. However, should the application be made by or on behalf of a local authority, a member or officer of that local authority or an entity owned or controlled (whether wholly or partly) by that authority or any of its members or officers it may be required to be determined by Members at Planning Committee and the Fast Track service timescales may require revision.
11. Incorrect information. Where the Fast Track request or the planning application contains incorrect or misleading information, including an incorrect ownership certificate, an incorrect application type, inaccurate plans or misrepresentation of the proposal, any resulting delay will not give rise to a refund of the Fast Track fee. The council may in such circumstances decline to continue processing the Fast Track service.
12. No pre-application negotiation. The Fast Track service is not compatible with pre-application negotiation or iterative discussion of the proposal. The application will be assessed on the basis of the information submitted. Where pre-application advice has been obtained, the applicant should ensure that the submitted application fully reflects that advice before requesting the Fast Track service, as no amendments will be accepted after registration.
13. Data protection. Information provided on this form will be processed by the London Borough of Bexley acting as data controller, in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, for the purpose of administering your planning application and the Fast Track service. Full details of how the council processes personal data are set out in the Planning Privacy Notice, available at bexley.gov.uk/privacy.
14. Clock-stop on invalid submission. For certificate of lawful development (proposed) applications, the Fast Track target period is suspended ('stopped') where the council determines that the application is invalid due to missing or insufficient information. The clock will not restart until all necessary information has been received and the application has been registered as valid. Time spent in invalidity does not count towards the Fast Track target period and does not give rise to a refund entitlement. The council will notify the applicant or agent promptly upon determining that an application is invalid and will specify what information is required.
15. Basis of assessment. A certificate of lawful development (proposed) will be granted only where the council is satisfied, on the balance of probability and by reference to the information submitted, that the proposed development constitutes permitted development under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) or is otherwise lawful. The Fast Track service does not alter the legal test or the standard of evidence required. Where the submitted information is insufficient to discharge that test, a certificate will be refused and the Fast Track fee will not be refunded.
16. No fee exemptions — permitted development confirmation. The absence of a statutory fee for certain categories of lawful development certificate application does not affect the Fast Track fee. The Fast Track fee remains payable in full regardless of whether the underlying statutory application fee is nil.
17. Relationship with the statutory deemed consent period. The Fast Track service accelerates the council's administrative processing and officer assessment of a prior approval application for a larger home extension under Class A of Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended)[GDPO]. The Fast Track target period is separate from, and does not modify or replace, the statutory 42-day prior approval period. The statutory deemed consent mechanism under Class A.4(6) of the GPDO — under which development may proceed if no decision is issued within 42 days of the date the application is received continues to run from the date of receipt of the application, irrespective of the Fast Track determination target. Where the council issues a decision under the Fast Track service before the 42-day period expires, that decision takes effect in the usual way. The two timelines operate independently.
18. Neighbour consultation. All prior approval householder extension applications are subject to the statutory neighbour notification procedure. The Fast Track target period takes account of the neighbour notification period (21 days from the date notification letters are sent).
19. Measurement and permitted development limits. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the proposed extension falls within the permitted development size limits applicable to the property. If the proposed development exceeds the applicable limits or is otherwise not eligible for prior approval under the GPDO, the application will be refused and the Fast Track fee will not be refunded.
