Pre-application advice worth it for a change of use?

Looking at converting a commercial unit (Class E) to residential (Class C3). It's a small shop on a high street that's been empty for 18 months.

The council offers pre-application advice for £300. Is this actually useful for a straightforward change of use, or am I just paying them to tell me what I already know?

My concern is that if they flag issues in pre-app, those same issues would come up in the full application anyway. So what's the actual value?

Pre-app is genuinely useful for anything complex or contentious. For a straightforward Class E to C3 change of use on a high street, I'd say skip it. The planning framework for this is well established — you either meet the criteria or you don't.

Save the £300 and put it towards a good planning statement that addresses any obvious issues (noise, refuse collection, loss of employment space).

Fair point. Our architect is confident it's straightforward so we'll go straight to full application.