Cornwall Local Plan 2050 consultation
We are carrying out a scoping consultation to understand the issues, opportunities and priorities that matter most to Cornwall's communities. This is the earliest stage of plan making and gives you a chance to tell us:
What challenges Cornwall faces now and in the future
What opportunities we should be making the most of
What makes your area special and what could be better
Where change is needed to create and support thriving communities
What the new Local Plan should prioritise
The 6 week consultation on the key issues and baseline evidence is now live. It runs between 5 October and 16 November 2026. You can get involved and find out more at: Cornwall Local Plan - scoping consultation
Planning fee changes - 8 December 2026
Government have confirmed planning fee changes which will come into effect on 8 December 2026.
The amendments can be viewed here:
New homeowner's guidance document launched
Cornwall Council have worked with Building Control Communications and the Planning Portal to produce a homeowners guide to the planning process.
A homeowner's guide to the planning process
The guide covers a range of topics, including:
Do I need planning permission
Submitting the right application and what you need to do
Where to get expert advice
How decisions are made
Guidance on common projects
And much more.
Payment of £10,000 or more
The majority of planning related payments are made online. This may be for example when submitting an application via an online platform and a planning application fee is required. This process remains unchanged and payments should continue in this way.
However on occasion other payments are required, examples include:
additional planning payment is required
an application was submitted hard copy
to pay for a service we provide such as pre-application advice
payments secured by a legal agreement such as a S111 agreement
If the payment required is £10,000 or more, this can no longer be made:
Online via the pay-it system
Over the phone
Online as part of submitting an online form
These payments will now need to be made via BACS. Please email planning@cornwall.gov.uk to request our BACS details. You will need to include:
what they payment is for; and
how much the payment is for.
A member of then team will then send you our BACS details as a PDF attached to an email.
Once payment is made please notify planning@cornwall.gov.uk . The email you receive with the BACS details will set out the information you need to provide.
Solar panels and planning permission
The permitted development rights relating to solar panels changed on 27 August:
Class A (installation or alteration etc of solar equipment on domestic premises)
Class B (installation or alteration etc of stand alone solar equipment on domestic premises)
You can find more information at Solar panels and planning permission and:
The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2026. Paragraph P defines plug-in solar. 'Solar PV' expressly includes plug-in solar. It means plug-in solar is subject to the limitations and conditions in Classes A and B.
New National Planning Policy Framework published
The Government published the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 17 August 2026. The new NPPF is split into two sets of planning policies:
one set to help Cornwall Council write the next local plan, and
the other to be used in planning decision making.
You can find more information on our Planning Changes webpage. Our Planning Explained webpage sets out how these changes affect planning decisions in Cornwall.
Planning news Summer 2026
We have published our Summer quarterly planning newsletters:
Planning News for Local Councils and Agents
You can find links to these newsletters on our Planning News page.
Our next newsletter is due in October 2026.