We provide early-stage advice to assess development potential, identify constraints and define a clear strategy before design and planning begin. Our approach combines architectural insight with planning and commercial awareness, helping clients make informed decisions and reduce risk at the outset.
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Pre-Planning & Feasibility is the work done before committing to a project or a site. It tests whether an idea stacks up by looking at planning policy, site constraints, access, capacity and budget realism before serious money is spent on design or applications.
The output is usually a feasibility study or options appraisal, setting out what the site can accommodate, the likely planning position and the risks worth knowing about, so decisions are made with evidence rather than assumption.
This is the "should we build?" moment. The team clarifies goals, budget, risks and constraints, explores options (including non-build solutions), and forms the business case. The outcome is a confirmed set of client requirements and a go/no-go decision.
All the groundwork happens here: site information, surveys, statutory context and stakeholder needs are gathered, and the Project Brief and outline programme are agreed. Procurement and planning strategies are sketched so everyone knows the road ahead.
Look at the whole processThe best time is before a site is purchased or a brief is fixed. Testing capacity, planning context and constraints at that stage means a poor site can be walked away from cheaply, and a good one can be bought with confidence about what it will support.
It is equally valuable for existing sites. Schools, healthcare providers and landowners often hold buildings or land with untapped potential, and a feasibility study reveals what is realistically achievable.
We undertake site appraisals, planning history reviews and constraints analysis to identify opportunities and risks early. This includes feasibility studies, capacity testing and acquisition support to inform investment decisions.
We define appropriate planning routes, assess permitted development opportunities and develop pre-application strategies. Concept design and options testing ensure proposals are aligned with policy and site constraints.
Through development optimisation and strategic advice, we balance planning requirements with commercial objectives, improving site efficiency, viability and programme certainty.
Most expensive project failures trace back to assumptions that were never tested. A scheme designed for a site that cannot achieve planning consent, or a budget set before constraints were understood, wastes months of work. Feasibility work catches these problems while changing course is still cheap.
It also sharpens the brief. By exploring options early, the strongest approach is identified before detailed design begins, so later stages start from a position that already works.
A feasibility study tests what a site can realistically deliver before you commit to design fees or a purchase. It looks at capacity, layout options, planning constraints and viability so you can make an informed decision early.
Yes. We provide pre-acquisition reviews and development potential assessments that flag planning risks and opportunities, giving you a realistic picture of a site before you commit.
Feasibility establishes whether and how a site can be developed, while concept design starts shaping what the building or scheme will actually be. Feasibility usually comes first and informs the brief for design.
From schools to homeowners, we work closely with every client to deliver thoughtful, lasting architecture here’s what they’ve said about working with us.
We’re always up for a new challenge. Whether it’s a home, a school, or something completely unique.
