Pre-application consultations

The Benefits

The benefits of pre-application consultation for applicants and local planning authorities are considered to be to:

• obtain a without prejudice view from the Trust as a statutory consultee on the development proposal
• identify whether there are aspects of the development proposal which could give rise to concerns to the Trust
• identify whether planning obligations or conditions are likely to be sought to mitigate any impacts upon the waterway associated with the development proposal
• identify information that the Trust  would wish to see submitted with the planning application as statutory consultee
• identify whether there may be opportunities to enhance the sustainability of the proposal  by use of the waterways, e.g. for heating and cooling utilising canal water, connectivity to the towpath as a sustainable transport route, the movement of building/demolition materials, to/from the site, by water during the construction phase
• highlight where applicants might require consent from the Trust as landowner to implement aspects of their development proposals, e.g. to discharge drainage to a waterway, to access the towpath, to oversail the waterway
• draw attention to the wide range of users of the waterways

For development proposals for new canal marinas (enclosed basins and lay-bys), the Trust has a specific process managed by our Business Boating Team. Developers considering a new marina development should contact the team. 

Pre-Application Information

The level of feedback that the Trust can provide will to an extent be dependent upon the level of information that can be provided by applicants as part of pre-application consultation. As a minimum we would wish to be provided with:

• A red line location plan
• A clear description of the proposed development
• Drawings or plans on which to comment, including a proposed site layout plan and waterside elevations (where relevant).

Applicants are also encouraged to provide relevant supporting technical and other documents, where these are available as this will assist in providing clear feedback.

Should you wish to undertake a pre-application consultation with us please contact the relevant Area Planner. 

Freedom of Information

The Canal & River Trust is subject to the Freedom of Information Act in relation to its statutory functions. It will be assumed that all advice given and the information upon which it is based will be publicly accessible unless specifically agreed otherwise.

Notification of the Canal & River Trust as a Landowner

Notification of the Trust may also be required in our capacity as an adjoining landowner.