What you need to know...  All sites are different, and the requirements for making a planning application, including what needs to be submitted when you send it to the council, differs between local authorities. 

First off, it is important to understand that Architects and Town Planners are separate disciplines with different skills set. Where an Architect is already on-board with a project, planning consultancy advice is still a crucial and valuable addition. To manage costs and reduce risk, it is vital to ensure that in addition to good design, all legal and policy requirements have been carefully reviewed an identified at the start of the application process. This will also ensure that a complete and valid application is prepared and will save significant delays later down the line.

In terms of supporting information, common issues that need to be explored further and that require specialist technical reports include constraints such as flood risk, protected species, important trees, listed buildings and conservation areas or protected landscape areas. These reports can be costly, and so if you aren't sure if they will apply to your site our site appraisal service is the best place to start.  This will help you to understand more about the planning potential of your land.  

What are the risks?  Quite simply, if these issues are not addressed your application will be incomplete.  It may not be validated at all, or it could be validated only to be refused later. Understanding what needs to be done and considering it properly from the start is essential.  

Sadly, we see many cases where other consultants or architects either don’t check for planning constraints or simply don’t really understand what to look for – focussing instead on design work. This can either lead to an application failing completely, or make their fee look attractive initially, only to find out that it only covers a fraction of the true application costs when further work is needed later.  This can easily be avoided through good advice. 

We do things differently and this is reflected in our exemplary success rate and fantastic client reviews. Before any architectural work starts, we always cover the basics first to give our clients realistic advice on the likely costs for making an application and on the chance of success.

Everything you need, in one place - For the majority of the planning applications we work on, we are able to provide all of the necessary supporting information in-house, including site assessments, planning reports and all of the architectural design work (scale plans and drawings).  Our aim is to provide clients with a single point of contact, to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible and reduce your costs.

We have an excellent track record of handling more sensitive development proposals too, such as those located within Conservation Areas, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) or Green Belt. Our experienced development specialists understand these planning constraints and can advise you on precisely what is required in order to properly address them when preparing your planning application.

In most cases, because of the unique and broad range of skills within our team, we can provide all of the additional technical reports in-house, such as Flood Risk Assessments, Drainage Strategies and Heritage Statements.  For more complex cases, or where additional third-party expertise is required to bolster the planning case, we work with a range of trusted local consultants. 

Third Party Consultants - When third-party specialist consultants are necessary, we will prepare their brief, obtain quotes and then continue to manage them through to the completion of their work, meaning that you only ever need to deal with us.  This also allows us to extend the services that we can offer, beyond our in-house provision, to include the full scope of additional technical reports needed for all types of development and any scale of project.

So whatever you are planning – get in touch and plan it with us! Contact 01522 581383 or email [email protected] for an initial conversation.