Benefits Of Using Planning Permission Consultants

Although a planning application cannot be guaranteed to succeed, you improve the likelihood by engaging a planning permission consultant to provide the best opportunity for achieving the cost-effective planning permission outcomes.

Keeping within your brief but taking an independent view, they will explore new ideas to develop and tailor the design scheme to meet the requirements of the local area. As they speak the same policy-based language as the local planning officers, they can navigate through the changing rules and regulations to enhance your application and this is crucial if your venture has complex requirements.

Reducing the complications which make the application process so frustrating at times is the biggest benefit, thereby saving time and further expense.

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Step 1 – Research

Initially, we clarify your concept and confirm what ultimate success means for you with the development. Having identified what is the minimum requirement for viability, our planning permission consultant will undertake detailed research.

Thoroughness pays off at this stage and makes the later process more likely to be successful. On a broad aspect, we will review the design to make sure it conforms to the overall development plan of the local authority and audit why planning applications have been passed or rejected in the past.

On a narrower aspect, we will review the style of the scheme in comparison to neighbouring properties. Use of appropriate quality materials is a consideration in a conservation area and tree preservation orders can impact on the design of inspiring landscaping plans.

Consultation with neighbours and the local community can be undertaken at any point during the planning application process. It is usually helpful to do it in the early stages as it demonstrates an understanding that developments can impact on various groups of people in the local area. However, it is important to be aware that it can take up time and resources and needs to be factored into your planning application.

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Step 3 – Pre-Application

A pre-application meeting is a valuable and crucial step in your interaction with the planning system process, even though there is a fee for the pre-planning advice, and it is not legally binding. Meeting with your local planning officer allows the opportunity for an in-depth discussion of your scheme and to understand the thought process behind any restrictions or conditions that would be considered part of the full planning application process.

Engaging and finding common objectives at this early stage is a key element. Local authorities can set conditions or planning obligations on a development, that is initially considered to be unacceptable, to make it more likely to be granted planning permission. However, any conditions should be kept to a minimum and only put in place when they are necessary, relevant, enforceable, precise, and reasonable.

As a developer aware that both CIL and S106 can impact on the viability of the scheme, you will need to make a choice between the quicker process of CIL, if applicable for your area, and the advantages of negotiation of S106 despite the delays that often are experienced.

Creating the right balance between cost and value is the ultimate aim to give the maximum performance for a good return on investment.

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Step 5 – Appeal

If you have followed each of the steps above, your aspiration is to have obtained planning permission on your development.

However, it is not guaranteed and if you wish to appeal against a planning decision, our planning appeal specialist can review the refused application and advise if there are strong grounds to appeal. If appropriate we will undertake the appeal, and the success rate for planning permission London appeals is that one in three get the go-ahead.

Alternatively, we can revise the development strategy, taking on board the planning outcomes and prepare a different scheme to submit as a new planning application.

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