Development Control

We deal with most types of planning applications however some kinds of applications are dealt with by Lincolnshire County Council. This includes mining and waste applications, and applications to alter most schools.

Viewing planning applications

Planning applications are public documents. Applications are placed on the Planning Register. All current applications are available to any member of the public during normal office hours. If you wish to view an application that has already been decided, please call the planning support team first to make sure the file is available.

You can view details of planning applications, including plans and reports, by using the search pages on our E-planning page.

Contact us if you have provided any other information as part of your application, which falls within the definition of personal data under the Data Protection and you do not wish it to be published on the council's website.

How we handle the processing of applications

As soon as we receive an application it is given a unique reference number. Anyone can get this number by calling us or searching on our website via the E-planning section. If you quote it to us we can give you information about the progress of an application and tell you who the case officer is.

We get 8weeks to decide most applications and 13weeks for large or 'major' applications. Every application must be validated. It must be made valid before we can start the clock. Validation means checking against strict criteria that we have all of the required plans, supporting information and fees. 

When the 8 or 13 week period is up a decision will be made. On very rare occasions a few applications may take longer. The decision notice will be sent to the agent. Anyone else who wrote in to voice an opinion (for example an objector or a supporter) will also be notified of the decision.

Appealing a decision

If the application is refused the applicant has the right to appeal against the council’s decision. The appeals inspectorate is an independent body who will send out an inspector to assess whether the council made the right decision. Sometimes applications may go to a hearing or even a public enquiry. An enquiry is similar to a small court case.

There is currently no 3rd party right of appeal for neighbours or anyone else to appeal a refusal. It is not possible to appeal against an approval.