Pre-application highways advice on major planning applications

Advice for major applications

Free Service

A written response to the first request for pre-application advice will be provided free of charge, on condition that the following is supplied to the county council:

1. Site Plan(s) including access points.
2. Site address.
3. Description / Scale of development.

The written response will include:

1. An assessment of the proposed development in terms of highways safety considerations, subject to the information provided.
2. An indication of any specific matters which would need to be addressed in order to make the proposed development acceptable in highway terms.
3. Details of any transportation documentation (e.g. Transport Technical Note / Statements) that would need to be submitted with any subsequent planning application for the proposed development.
4. Guidance related to any relevant existing and emerging transport policies and strategies.

Chargeable Service with Tariff inc VAT (April 2025)

If further written pre-application highways advice is required beyond the initial Substantive Written Response (refer previous column), or if site visits or meetings are requested, a fee will be charged in each case. Fees will be as follows:

• 10-24 dwellings:
  • Additional Written Response £452
  • Meeting/Site Visit + Additional Written Response £722
• 25-49 dwellings:
  • Additional Written Response £748
  • Meeting/Site Visit + Additional Written Response £1,114
• 50-99 dwellings:
  • Additional Written Response £1,480
  • Meeting/Site Visit + Additional Written Response £2,228
• 100-199 dwellings:
  • Additional Written Response £2,594
  • Meeting/Site Visit + Additional Written Response £3,326
• 200-399 dwellings or 1,000m²-4,999m² B or E uses:
  • Additional Written Response £3,692
  • Meeting/Site Visit + Additional Written Response £4,439
• 400 or more dwellings or 5,000m² or more B or E (Business) or 3,500m² or more E (Retail) Use:
  • Additional Written Response £5,177
  • Meeting/Site Visit + Additional Written Response £6,280

For development proposals that are not identified above, a bespoke pre-application charge will need to be agreed with the Transport Development Management team at An external link was removed to protect your privacy..

For Additional Written Responses, the following information should be provided to the County Council on request:

1. Details of the existing use of the site, including any planning history, if appropriate.
2. Description of the proposed development, with sketch plans if available.
3. Scoping for a Transport Statement/Assessment or a draft of these documents.
4. Any further information considered critical to the proposal at the pre-application stage.
5. A signed application form.

Meetings (other than any that take place on site) will be held at the offices (or virtually) of the County Council or relevant District Council. A Transport Development Management Officer will be present.

Exemptions

Charges will not be levied on:

1. Enforcement enquiries.
2. Registered Charities (See Note 3).
3. Public or Voluntary Sector non-profit making developments.
4. Any of the Oxfordshire District Councils.

Notes

1. The above are the charges that will generally apply. However, for mixed-use development proposals or other large complex sites a higher fee may be charged than would be the case for the individual elements of the scheme. In these situations, please refer to the County Council’s Strategic Planning Infrastructure Team in the first instance. For large strategic sites a Planning Performance Agreement may be considered as an alternative approach in partnership with the relevant Local Planning Authority.
2. For proposals not covered by the above definitions or additional requirements such as use of the transport model, please refer to the County Council’s Strategic Planning & Infrastructure Team in the first instance.
3. A Charitable institution will benefit from no charge where the chargeable development will be used wholly, or mainly, for charitable purposes. To qualify for charitable relief, the following criteria must be filled:
   • The claimant must be a registered charitable institution.
   • The claimant must own material interest relevant in the land.
   • The claimant must not own this interest jointly with a person who is not a charitable institution.
4. Please indicate as part of your submission if you wish your pre-application to be treated as confidential as the response provided by Oxfordshire County Council may be shared with the local planning authority.

Advice for minor applications

Free Service

A written response to the first request for pre-application advice will be provided free of charge, on condition that the following is supplied to the county council:

1. Site Plan(s) including access points.
2. Site address.
3. Description / Scale of development.

The written response will include:

1. An assessment of the proposed development in terms of highways safety considerations, subject to the information provided.
2. An indication of any specific matters which would need to be addressed in order to make the proposed development acceptable in highway terms.
3. Details of any transportation documentation (e.g. Transport Technical Note / Statements) that would need to be submitted with any subsequent planning application for the proposed development.
4. Guidance related to any relevant existing and emerging transport policies and strategies.

Chargeable Service with Tariff inc VAT (April 2025)

If further written advice is required beyond the initial response provided, or if a site visit or meeting is requested, a fee will be charged in each case:

• < 10 dwellings:
  • Additional written response or Meeting or site visit £377.00.

For Additional written responses, the following information should be provided to the county council on request:

1. Details of the existing use of the site, including any planning history, if appropriate.
2. Description of the proposed development, with sketch plans if available.
3. Any further information considered critical to the proposal at the pre-application stage.

Meetings (other than any that take place on site) will be held at the offices (or virtually) of the County Council or relevant District Council. A Transport Development Management Officer will be present.

Exemptions

Charges will not be levied on:

1. Enforcement enquiries.
2. Registered Charities (See Note 3).
3. Public or Voluntary Sector non-profit making developments.
4. Any of the Oxfordshire District Councils.

Notes

1. The above are the charges that will generally apply. However, for mixed-use development proposals or other large complex sites a higher fee may be charged than would be the case for the individual elements of the scheme. In these situations, please refer to the County Council’s Strategic Planning & Infrastructure Team in the first instance.
2. For large strategic sites a Planning Performance Agreement may be considered as an alternative approach in partnership with the relevant Local Planning Authority. For proposals not covered by the above definitions or additional requirements such as use of the transport model, please refer to the County Council’s Strategic Planning & Infrastructure Team in the first instance.
3. A Charitable institution will benefit from no charge where the chargeable development will be used wholly, or mainly, for charitable purposes. To qualify for charitable relief, the following criteria must be met:
   • The claimant must be a registered charitable institution.
   • The claimant must own material interest relevant in the land.
   • The claimant must not own this interest jointly with a person who is not a charitable institution.
4. Please indicate as part of your submission if you wish your pre-application to be treated as confidential as the response provided by Oxfordshire County Council may be shared with the local planning authority.