Planning services customer charter

Planning Development's role within the Planning Service is to process planning and associated applications made to South Ayrshire Council and ensure that they comply with our policy. It is through this process that we are able to develop and maintain a high quality, sustainable environment in which the people of South Ayrshire live and work. We are responsible for monitoring development under construction to ensure compliance with planning permissions and is also responsible for the investigation and enforcement of potential breaches of planning legislation.

Services provided

The Planning Development section includes the following services:

Provision of planning advice to members of the public.
Being available for pre-application discussions with agents and applicants.

Processing applications for example:

New Residential Developments
House Extensions
Commercial Developments
Listed Buildings
Advertisements
Conservation Areas
Hazardous Substances
Monitoring the implementation of approved applications.
Investigation and enforcement of breaches in planning legislation.

We have a team of courteous and experienced staff who will be happy to offer advice and assistance with any enquiries you may have, either in person, by phone, letter or by email.

Service standards

When you contact us either in writing or by email we will aim to:

Give you the name and direct dial telephone number of the staff dealing with your enquiry.
Provide you with a full reply with as much information as possible.
Deal with general correspondence within 20 working days of receipt.

When you contact us by telephone:

We will give our name and Section when answering the telephone.
We will try to deal with your telephone enquiry at the time or pass you to staff who can.
If the person you need to speak to is not available, you can choose to speak to someone else who can help. If you leave a message we aim to get back to you within 2 working days.

You can expect us to:

Be courteous and professional at all times.
Give you as much information and immediate advice as possible.
Observe privacy and confidentiality, when appropriate.
Monitor and evaluate our performance.
Give you a quality service at all times.
Endeavour to provide clean, accessible public offices that ensure privacy,comply with occupational and safety standards and facilitate access for disabled people and people with additional support needs.

Specific service standards

We will endeavour to:

Provide a response to your planning application within 2 months.
Provide a response to listed building applications within 3 months.
Provide a response to any planning enforcement complaints within 10 working days.
Acknowledge objections to planning applications within 10 working days.
Have staff available who can deal with your enquiry.
Explain how and why a decision was reached.

Planning Development staff are available during office hours (8.45am - 4.45pm) Monday to Thursday, (8.45am - 4.00pm on Friday) to provide general information and advice. The advice given will be objective and as helpful as possible without prejudice to the formal consideration of an Application by the Council. If you wish to discuss an issue with a specific member of staff it is advisable to arrange an appointment prior to visiting the office. Pre-application discussions are encouraged, however it is recommended that indicative proposals are submitted prior to any meeting as this will enable the staff concerned to contribute more knowledgeably to any proposal.

When you ask for an appointment

If you wish to meet staff to discuss any aspect of our service please contact 01292 616107 to arrange a mutually convenient appointment.

Identification of staff

All our staff are issued with identification cards, which they are expected to display prominently. The cards give the name, position and department of the cardholder and they also include a photograph.

If our staff are calling at your home or place of business, you are entitled to ask to see their identity card so you can satisfy yourself that they represent South Ayrshire Council. The details on the identification card can be verified by contacting the telephone number printed on the identification card.

Treating everyone fairly

We are committed to promoting equal opportunities for the community it serves.

What you can do to help

Keep us informed of any changes in your personal circumstances that may affect any service that we provide to you.
Attend any appointment on time, or let us know if you cannot do so.
Behave in a considerate and polite way so we can give you and other customers the standard of service you would expect.
Provide the information we ask for when we ask for it. This will help speed up the process.
Read information sent to you carefully and follow any instructions given.
Ensure that you read all information that we provide for you, it is to your benefit.
Please be patient as there will be times when we are exceptionally busy. We will however, make every effort to keep waiting times to a minimum.

What if I am not satisfied?

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, please contact us and we will try to resolve any problems quickly, and explain what we have done and why.

If we do not respond satisfactorily, you can take your complaint further by using our feedback procedure. You can get a leaflet titled 'Help Us To Get It Right' directly from ourselves or from any South Ayrshire Council office. Alternatively you can phone 0300 123 0900 or email customerservices@south-ayrshire.gov.uk you can also use this procedure for comments, suggestions and complaints about other South Ayrshire Council services.

Any suggestions?

We hope you will find this information helpful and that we continue to meet the standards we have set. Please let us know what you think by using our feedback procedure or by contacting us directly at the address below.

How and when you can phone or visit us

We are based at: County Buildings, Wellington Square, Ayr KA7 1DR
Opening hours 8.45 a.m. - 4.45 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 8.45 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. on Friday.
Telephone number 01292 616107.
Email: Planning.Development@south-ayrshire.gov.uk