Can the council planning department just ignore me?

[JKDcot]

I put in a planning application early June to renovate my garage into home office. Nothing fancy just need to use the space now I’m WFH and have no where to work from in my house.

The planning department have been dealing with it so slowly and now not heard anything for 2 months? I’ve phoned 4-5 times and emails 4-5 times not asking for a decision, just an update? They don’t even acknowledge me with 1 line response. Just totally ignored.

Is this normal? AIBU feeling so angry? They’re meant to provide a service, I’m sure they’re “busy” but I think 2 months of no response is disgraceful. Any suggestions what to do?

Forgot to say. My parents say if I keep chasing them they’ll get annoyed and more likely to refuse my application. Isn’t that illegal?? What I’m asking isn’t a big change? How long can I expect to be ignored?

You just need building control to sign off a change of use - so you don’t need them I don’t think. (I didn’t for the same project )

Secondly, I totally gave up on getting my porch built because planning has a four month wait and builders are currently working on a lead time of 18 months - feel your pain! I’d get the builder lined up ASAP tbh

Hi OP. Pretty sure you don't actually need PP for this unless you're adding to the volume in some way. You're likely to need to sort building regs compliance re insulation etc but that's a much more straightforward process. A good builder can advise though and as others have suggested I'd get one in as soon as you can.

I'm a private planner. In some councils, yes it's normal. I often have extensive long email trails of daily badgering, managers copied in etc.

You will eventually get a response and when you do it will be as if you weren't waiting for months. Don't waste your time getting annoyed and demanding some sort of apology, you won't get one, once you get the response just roll with it...and keep on them so they don't think they can relax now they've given one measly update.

It won't affect your application to bother them though. In fact, councils have targets to complete applications within eh statutory time frames. Some care and are always trying to agree and extension in writing if it looks like they will run out of time. Others don't care and will just run over

It helps if you are aware of the time frames though. Is your application validated and on the website yet? If so, there is a statutory 21 day consultation period...has that now expired?

Just keep badgering (politely! No long diatribes as whilst it won't affect the decision as your parents suggest, it can put yout emails in the "too difficult to deal with pile")..you'll get there eventually

Also I agree with other pp- I had assumed you were adding an extension? You don't need pp for a home office if just you working there...?

We converted our garage. The council website was very clear what did and didn’t need planning permission. There are some conversions that do though. You will need building control sign off I think unless your garage is completely detached. In my council, that is a separate process so I would get your application underway as soon as you can. They were slightly more on the ball than the planners, although my builder needed to ring them a few times to get them to discuss the project with him.

Planner here, that’s not good but sadly it happens, keep badgering them, email their manager just don’t put in a formal complaint and don’t ask for the planning fee back, those are sure fire ways to upset them!

Mostly the lack of contact is because they have about 50-70 other cases to deal with so they simply don’t have time to deal with yours. There is a massive shortage of planners at the moment and lots of planning departments are struggling to get good staff.

Still not really acceptable though.

18 weeks wait time where I live.

Just take care with the "you dont need planning permission" comments. Round here you absolutely do need planning permission to remove a parking space (even if noone parks in the garage). So check the local rules carefully.

FWIW, My parents are 9 months into a much more complicated (and controversial to the neighbours) discussion with the planning team......

Did you submit your application via the planning portal? Have you checked the status of it on the councils planning page (search by address).

Did the builder tell you, you needed planning permission ?

Our planning dept answers at the limit which is 'you will hear back within 3 months' - so at about 3 months you will hear back. Perhaps yours is the same. They also have an opportunity to discuss with a planning person before you submit application - this saves lots of needless time wasting as they will advise what is actually needed to pass a planning application .

I think yabu and pretty childish. Two months isn't a long time, and they're not sitting around with nothing to do. Stop taking it personally.

All public services in the UK have been underfunded for a decade, plus covid created backlogs. Do you want them to a) help you jump the queue or b) not do their job properly or c) shut down some other council service entirely to pay for more planning officers?

You don’t even need planning for a garage conversion

Also I doubt very much they deliberately slow things for people who contact them regularly (as they are dealing with hundreds of applications why would they care) or take brown envelopes to get things through as believed locally (perhaps in the past).

Thank you for all the advice. We do need planning permission as it’s a detached garage and we are changing the footprint of the existing building.

I have been really polite with my emails just 1 line asking please for an update on progress. It’s just hard to keep waiting when I know the building trade are so busy and I do have a builder lined up but he’s had to take on another job as it’s been so delayed getting permission.

Extremely frustrating….

It’s ridiculous that it takes so long, OP! Which area is this?!

@Foolsrule

It’s ridiculous that it takes so long, OP! Which area is this?!

They've only been waiting two months

I expect they are still all wfh along with the DVLA, passport office, banks, solicitors etc.
Can you tell I am waiting on a lot of people?

How is it 2 months,when OP put in an application in June?
June, July, August, September, October.
That's 5 months without any communication from planning! And that's below standards. But then again, it's council, they have all the time in the world when you need something from them - but when they need something from you, then you better get your backside in gear with 7 days or less.

@Fairyliz

I expect they are still all wfh along with the DVLA, passport office, banks, solicitors etc. Can you tell I am waiting on a lot of people?

Ohhh I sympathise with DVLA. Took my 4 months to get my licence renewed.

Sorry, just read again that they did respond and then stopped replying. 🤦‍♀️

Have you checked online? Our updates were posted on the council’s planning portal long before we heard from them in person.

You should have received a valid application letter (or email) and this usually has the case officers name on it and their contact details. Are you emailing them direct or just a generic email
Address?

Also if it’s been over 8 weeks since the application was a valid then you can appeal. The details how to are in the validation letter or on the planning inspectorate website.

Lastly you can use the Council’s complaints process or contact your local ward member and complain. Details on the councils website.

Good luck

We received confirmation of receipt and an expected response date which was 9 weeks later. On that date they wrote to say it would be longer and gave me another estimated date a month later. Next communication was confirmation of planning approval.

It takes ages. 2 months is nothing.