We manage the planning process from initial strategy through to submission and approval, ensuring proposals are aligned with local policy and stakeholder requirements. Our coordinated approach helps reduce risk and improve the likelihood of a successful outcome.
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Planning & Approvals covers everything needed to get formal consent for a project. That means preparing and submitting planning applications, coordinating the supporting documents and drawings, and handling the consents that sit alongside, such as listed building consent or discharge of conditions.
It also includes the strategy behind the submission: understanding local policy, judging what a council is likely to support and shaping the application to give it the strongest possible chance first time.
Design moves from ideas to a coordinated layout. Architecture, structure and building services are aligned so rooms, risers, fire strategy and servicing all work together. The result is a frozen arrangement with updated cost and risks understood. Planning applications are typically prepared and submitted at the end of this stage.
Look at the whole processMost new buildings, extensions beyond permitted development limits, changes of use and works to listed buildings need consent before work starts. The rules vary by property, location and history, so the honest answer for any specific site comes from checking rather than assuming.
Timing matters too. Applications typically take eight weeks for smaller schemes and thirteen for major ones, often longer in practice, so consent needs building into the programme early rather than treated as a formality.
We assess planning policy, define appropriate application routes and identify risks and opportunities early to guide project direction.
We prepare and manage planning applications, supporting documentation and submissions, ensuring a smooth validation and review process.
We liaise directly with planning officers, respond to feedback and refine proposals to maintain progress and improve approval outcomes.
Councils refuse applications that conflict with policy or arrive without the evidence to support them. A planning strategy works out the likely objections in advance, uses pre-application advice where it adds value and ensures the submission answers questions before they are asked.
It also keeps momentum after submission. Responding quickly to officer queries, negotiating amendments where needed and dealing with conditions promptly all shorten the gap between applying and actually starting on site.
It depends on the site, the use and the scale of what is proposed. Some work falls under permitted development rights, while other projects need a full application. We review your site and advise on the most appropriate route before anything is submitted.
Once validated, local authorities aim to determine minor applications within eight weeks and major applications within thirteen weeks, though extensions are common. Pre-application engagement and complete documentation help keep timescales under control.
A refusal is rarely the end of the road. We review the reasons for refusal and advise whether to amend and resubmit or to appeal, then manage that process with the aim of securing consent.
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