Step 3. Planning Permission
Planning Permission - What is Required?
The third stage of our service is to complete the more detailed design work that is necessary to make a planning application for your project, The plans prepared at the Feasibility Study stage will be developed into a final design solution to be approved by you and we will then make the application for you.
The majority of property improvement works that involve extending require planning permission which deals with the appearance of the building and the impact it may have on the immediate neighbours and general area.
Some works fall within ‘permitted development’ which is a category that means planning permission is not required and usually applies to proposals that are fairly uncontroversial. We will usually advise you if your proposal falls within permitted development during our Feasibility Study service and we would recommend obtaining a Certificate of Lawfulness to avoid any issues when selling the property in the future. There is lots of useful information on planning permission at the government website planningportal.co.uk.
Additional Documentation
In recent years, the amount of additional information required to make a planning application has increased substantially. We will assist you with appointing specialist consultants and obtaining supporting documentation as required. We have included below a general summary of typical documentation that may be required when making a planning application.
It generally takes around 10-12 weeks to obtain a planning decision and, if your proposed scheme is refused permission, you are entitled to appeal the decision to the Secretary of State. We can assist with this process if required. using specialist planning consultants.
Ecological Information.
Many planning application now require an ecology assessment to demonstrate that the property will provide an enhanced ecological standard once the works are completed. This could include the provision or bird boxes, hedgehog housing, bat roosting and additional landscaping/tree planting.
Design and Access Statement
Many planning application now require an ecology assessment to demonstrate that the property will provide an enhanced ecological standard once the works are completed. This could include the provision or bird boxes, hedgehog housing, bat roosting and additional landscaping/tree planting.
Flood Risk Assessment
Many planning application now require an ecology assessment to demonstrate that the property will provide an enhanced ecological standard once the works are completed. This could include the provision or bird boxes, hedgehog housing, bat roosting and additional landscaping/tree planting.
Tree survey
Many planning application now require an ecology assessment to demonstrate that the property will provide an enhanced ecological standard once the works are completed. This could include the provision or bird boxes, hedgehog housing, bat roosting and additional landscaping/tree planting.
Fire Statement
Many planning application now require an ecology assessment to demonstrate that the property will provide an enhanced ecological standard once the works are completed. This could include the provision or bird boxes, hedgehog housing, bat roosting and additional landscaping/tree planting.
Other Approvals
There may also be other approvals required for your project and we will assist you with obtaining these.
Listed Building Consent – if your property is a listed building, you will also need to get listed building consent in addition to planning permission.
Management Scheme Approval – there are many areas where local organisation will also have to be consulted such as Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City and Dulwich Estates. There is usually a fee to pay for these approvals.
Developer Consent – particularly for new properties, developers often add a clause to the property deeds ensuring they need to approve any alterations over a given period (usually around ten years from the building completion). This is often in place to restrict alterations whilst they are still completing the development of a site.
Freeholder Consent – you may also require approval from other freeholders where the property is a flat or leasehold.
How Much Does This Stage Cost?
The cost of this stage varies depending on the size of the project works and our fees are shown on the Design Fees section of our website.
Our fee is payable upon completion of the planning drawings prior to submission for planning permission.
Some larger, complex projects are quoted on an individual basis.
Sample Documents
We have included a number of sample drawings below (customer details have been removed for data protection) to give you an idea of the difference between planning drawings and building Regulations drawings. As part of our service, we also provide you with a Specification of Works at the Building Regulations stage to help define the extent of the works to you and the builder.,
