You can use this form to request free preliminary advice from NRW on your development proposal. As part of this preliminary advice, we will aim to provide you with:
- An indicative view on which environmental considerations listed on our Checklist need to be taken into account as part of your application. You can find this checklist here.
- An outline of the assessments that may be required to support your application
The “Guide to our pre-application service for development planning” explains what is covered by this service in more detail and the conditions under which it is offered.
If you want more detailed advice from us on your development proposal, you can make use of our charged Discretionary Planning Advice Service (DPA Service). We recommend that you make use of the free preliminary opinion, before requesting the charged DPA service. This will help both you and us to assess if the use of the DPA Service is likely to be of benefit to you.
We will aim to reply to your request for a preliminary opinion within 21 days of receiving this form and all relevant information outlined in section 3. Please note that we can only provide the preliminary opinion once for each proposed development.
You should consider the advice that we provide at this stage alongside the guidance on our website. We will not seek to duplicate this guidance in our advice to you, so it is worth familiarising yourself with it to ensure your proposal is in line with it.
We will not duplicate the work that is carried out by other organisations. As well as consulting us, we therefore recommend that you contact the relevant Local Planning Authority (LPA). They will be able to advise you on a number of issues, including:
- whether an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should be undertaken as part of your planning application.
- if your proposal will pass the justification tests in relation to flood risk, as set out in Technical Advice Note 15: Development and Flood Risk.
You should also talk to the LPA if your proposal is likely to have a significant effect on a European nature conservation site or European Protected Species, and what (if any) information they require to undertake an appropriate assessment under the Conservation of Habitats and Species regulations 2017.
You should be advised that, in addition to planning permission, it is your responsibility to ensure that you secure all other permits and consents that are relevant to your development