Types of applications you can fast track

You can fast track:

• householder applications
• certificate of lawful development proposed (householder)
• discharge of conditions (discharge of one condition only, and excluding those requiring consultation with external consultees)

You can't fast track applications for listed buildings or properties in a conservation area.

Guaranteed decision times

Householder applications

• Validation: Up to 2 days
• Site visit assessment: Up to 21 days
• Decision: Up to 30 days from validation

Certificate of proposed lawful development (householder)

• Validation: Up to 2 days
• Site visit assessment: Up to 10 days
• Decision: Up to 10 days from validation

Discharge of conditions application

• Validation: Up to 2 days
• Decision: Up to 10 days from validation

How much it costs

The fast track fee is:

• £500 for Householder Applications
• £250 for Certificate of Proposed Lawful Development (Householder)
• £250 for Discharge of Conditions Application

This fee is in addition to the cost to submit your planning application.

Fees for the fast track service are non-refundable.

How to submit your fast track request

If you want to fast track, you must tell us when you submit your planning application. Please email us at planning@merton.gov.uk immediately upon submission of your application. Please include 'Fast Track' in the email subject line.

You’ll need to say that you want to fast track at the start of the proposal description on your planning application form. For example, your proposal description could be ‘(Fast Track) Erection of a single storey rear extension’.

You will need to know your Planning Portal reference number, which was given to you when you submitted your planning application to us.

All planning applications must be submitted via the Planning Portal.

The request for the fast track service must be stated at the start of the proposal description on the application form on submission, see below. Your application will not be eligible for fast track if you do not do this.

Example description:

• "(Fast Track) Erection of a single storey rear extension"
• "(Fast Track) Application for a Certificate of Lawful Development Proposed (Householder) erection of a single storey detached domestic garden outbuilding"

For applications submitted electronically via the Planning Portal you must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Submit all necessary documents ‘in one go’
• The maximum print size for any drawing is A3. Do not submit drawings or plans that have to be printed at A2, A1 or A0, as we will not accept these, and your application will be deemed invalid
• Maximum single attachment file size of 5MB. Maximum application file size of 25MB
• All drawings should be attached as .pdf files (file types for non-drawings are .jpg, .doc and .xls will also be accepted)
• Ensure all drawings are categorised by type, as presented on the Planning Portal
• All plans and drawings must be accurately drawn, using a conventional metric scale such as 1:1250, 1:500, 1:200, 1:100 etc, and must be drawn true to the stated scale(s). Plans/drawings must include a scale bar that refers to the paper size, for example: 1:100 on A3, and must also include key dimensions and must not contain disclaimers such as ‘not to scale’ and ‘do not scale’ (with the exception of perspective drawings). All plans should be drawn on the same paper size
• Plans and drawings should be presented on PDFs and titled accordingly i.e. "Existing and Proposed Front Elevation" with the drawing number.
• The clearest way to present proposals is to group ‘existing’ and ‘proposed’ drawings side by side, using the same scale for both
• Annotated dimensions must be included on the floor plans, site plans, elevation drawings, and section or level plans
• Each plan or drawing should have a title box stating: the address and proposal; the title of the drawing (for example ‘existing rear elevation, proposed first floor plan etc’); the date, scale of the drawing and the drawing number, with revisions clearly identified. Plans or drawings must be correctly labelled
• Each plan or drawing must be fully annotated, for example a line between two properties should be annotated to say ‘boundary fence’, and distances from boundaries should be provided
• All plans must include a North arrow
• Please refrain from including any personal or sensitive data or information on drawings or documents e.g. telephone numbers, email addresses, signatures, car registration numbers, and photographs that include people’s faces etc
• For the purposes of your planning application, ‘existing’ means the situation on the ground at the time of submitting an application. If planning permission or a certificate of lawful development has been obtained for a proposal, or part of, which the applicant intends to implement but has not yet commenced, these works must be included as part of the proposed plans or drawings and must form part of the application description. You should indicate on the plans or drawings the reference number of any element of the proposal that has previously been granted planning permission or benefits from a lawful development certificate

Terms and conditions

These are the terms and conditions for the fast track planning service:

• To be eligible for the fast track service for householder applications, you must submit the additional information stipulated above
• To be eligible for the fast track service you must describe the application as indicated above.
• The service only applies to the types of application listed above.
• The service does not apply if your property is a locally listed or a statutory listed building, or lies with a conservation area.
• The fast track fee must be received no later than 1 week after application validation (the date of the acknowledgement email).
• In the case that an incorrect reference number is used to pay, and this is the sole reason an application is not assessed under the fast track process, then the fast track fee will not be refundable.
• If during the course of the assessment of the application it transpires that the incorrect information has been submitted e.g. the incorrect ownership certificate has been completed, there will be a delay in determining the application to allow the error to be corrected and for reconsultation to take place. In this instance the fast track fee will not be refundable. Please note, the red line on the site location plan should encompass all the land necessary to facilitate the development with the correct ownership certificate completed and the requisite notification served, if required, on any other land owners (and agricultural tenants).
• Notwithstanding any pre-application advice, no amendments will be sought or accepted for any applications submitted under the fast track process.
• Decision targets are subject to the appropriate fast track fee being received in the timescale stipulated above.
• The use of the fast track does not guarantee an approval of your application, but a decision within the timeframes stipulated above, unless the application is subject to committee determination as stipulated below.
• In accordance with the council’s constitution, where a valid ‘call-in’ request is received by the ward councillors in relation to a householder application, the application will be determined at the next available committee. Where this is the cause of delay the fast track fee will not be refundable.
• Please note, the determination of certificates of lawfulness (proposed) applications, are delegated to officers.
• In some circumstances, a pre-commencement planning condition may be necessary to make your proposals acceptable. Where the case officer has requested your agreement to a pre-commencement planning condition your response must be received within 2 working days. If a lack of response from you is the sole reason for the fast track decision date not being met the fee will not be refundable.
• In the unlikely event that a decision is not reached by the fast track determination date, and this is not accounted for by one of the circumstances set out above (e.g. call-in request), the applicant will be entitled to a 100% refund of the fast track fee.