We have vast experience in planning applications and pride ourselves on our ability to obtain consent, even on projects that would not typically gain approval – we have been known to achieve the impossible at times. However, if at this stage we think there is no chance at all of gaining planning consent then we will be completely honest in order to avoid you making any unnecessary investments.

Once officially appointed we look at the detail around obtaining planning consent and would start to develop initial designs based on the brief and taking into consideration any planning restraints. We would then discuss designs with you and fine-tune in order to develop the scheme which will be submitted to planning.

Some projects are relatively straight-forward, but others can be more complex and could potentially benefit from the support of specialist services – click here for more details.

PLANNING STAGE

Pre-Application

The first stage of the planning process is to submit the initial design to the relevant Local Authority in order to get their feedback as to whether planning is likely to be granted. If necessary, this then provides the opportunity to further develop the design taking on board any feedback to maximise the chance of having permission granted.

This is a very useful stage for clients as it provides a very good indication of how complex gaining planning consent may be and you can make an informed decision whether to continue to make a full investment or not.

Planning Application

Taking onboard all of the information obtained, the final designs are developed. In addition to the drawings we also prepare the Planning Statement, Design & Access Statement and Heritage Statement if relevant.

When planning forms have been submitted we will liaise directly with the planning officer in order to deal with any issues if they arise in order to smooth the process of gaining permission. We have an excellent track record for successfully gaining planning permission due our diligent upfront work on the application.

Planning applications will take 8 weeks for normal residential projects, and 13 weeks for major developments. However, if it is a controversial project or there have been letters of objection it may take longer if it needs to go to the planning committee who only meet once a month, although we aspire to get most applications through the planning process without the need to go to committee.

Once planning permission has been granted there are often pre-start conditions attached which we will then either apply to have discharged or work with relevant consultants to comply with the conditions.

At this stage a Community Infrastructure Levy will be charged. Levy rates are expressed as pounds per square metre which are set by the individual local authorities. Clients who are building homes for themselves to live in are exempt from the charge but the local authority need to be informed otherwise charges will still be due.