Planning Permission

Planning permission is not always required. Many many works or change of use is not classed as development or are allowable under permitted development.

It is advisable to check with your Local Planning Authority in order to ensure unauthorised works or development are not carried out.

If your works or change of use do not fall under any allowable class then you will likely require planning permission. We will smooth this process out and advise of the likely issues and requirements.

It typically lasts for 3 years although the formal decision notice will specify any particular requirements or timeframes.

For example, where consent is granted due to policy vacuums, for example for houses outside of settlement boundaries or only obtaining approval because of a lack of 5-year housing land supply, then such timeframes may be reduced.

This typically sets the principle of development for land and helps to realise the value and ascertain that development is possible.

Often such an approval is not the end of the process. A Reserved Matters application would allow for the design to be approved to enable construction works to commence.

Outline planning permission only establishes a few key aspects of the development, such as the principle and use. A Reserved Matters Application will need to be submitted to the Local Planning Authority to provide the remaining information required under a full planning application.

The permission will be granted subject to conditions and will be subject to the approval of Reserved Matters. These are required to be approved prior to the any work commencing on site.

Outline planning permission usually lasts for three years, from the date of approval. Local Authorities can stipulate a reduced timeframe. A Reserved Matters application needs to be submitted within this period, which when granted, extends the approval for a further 2 years.

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This varies dramatically based upon the scale, complexity and context of the application.

Local Planning Authorities are set target determination periods by Government and these are generally 8 weeks for minor applications and 13 weeks for major applications.

These targets do not necessarily tell the whole story as inappropriate proposals are likely to require re-submissions or planning appeals. These can substantially increase the timeframes for approval.

The appointment of a Plande will give your application the best chance of success. It will also help to reduce the time taken to achieve planning consent.

We have an expert, highly experienced in-house team with wide-ranging specialist external support where specific assistance is required.

We have been involved with a huge range of different types of planning applications; please see our Case Studies page for more information or contact us to discuss your project.

We have worked across a wide range of different Local Planning Authorities and have obtained planning permission numerous times in locations such as:

Cheshire East Council; Manchester City Council; Trafford Council; Cheshire West & Chester Council; Stockport Council; Warrington Borough Council; Salford City Council; Flintshire County Council; Denbighshire County Council; Liverpool City Council; Wrexham Council; to name a few in the North as well as in London and surrounding areas.

Permission for house extensions projects fall under two categories; those allowable under permitted development and those requiring planning consent.

Where planning is required, many Local Planning Authorities have dedicated supplementary planning guidance (SPGs) advising what they would normally expect to be allowable.

It is advisable to review these SPG’s prior to any design work carried out.

Unfortunately, many of these documents make assumptions based on typical houses so many extension projects do not always fall neatly into the policy context.

The appointment of Plande gives your project the best chance of success.

This is required where works have been carried out without obtaining approval before work was commenced.

Depending on the nature of the issues, a Certificate of Lawful Development application may be required or a full planning application to regularise the situation.

As the construction/change of use has been carried out, often limited changes are possible without significant expense.

As such it is imperative to support a robust planning argument and the appointment of Plande will assist with this.

Costs are difficult to generalise as the scale, type and complexity of each application vary dramatically.

The level of supporting information (for example ecology or tree surveys) will be determined by local validation lists, local policies and/or context.

In order to help reduce the costs associated with obtaining approval, the appointment of Plande will be beneficial. This will reduce the time associated with the process and minimise the costs associated, including re-designs, re-submissions and appeals.

This involves submitting a planning application to your local planning authority (LPA).

They will set the requirements for such applications. The scale, complexity, use and context for each application will determine what you will require. The minimum is usually a location plan, planning applications forms and details of the application – site plan, floor plans & elevations.

Where applicants are seeking more than change of use planning permission a Design and Access Statement is required to set out the planning issues and merits for the scheme.

Developing strategies for how to get planning permission is a vital part of what we do at Plande. We can assist with a wide range of different projects at different scales and in different locations