Lavingham Planning Consultants

Planning and Development Specialists in Yorkshire and the North East

Planning news

Listed buildings – worth the time and effort?

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Did you know that most building pre 1700 in the UK is likely to be on the Listed Building list?

Though only accounting for 2% of the build heritage in England, (92% are Grade II, 5.5% are Grade II* and 2.5% are Grade I)

Modern buildings can appear on the list too, if believed to be of significance, or are potentially under threat.

For everyday householders, careful consideration needs to be made on purchasing a listed building and the necessary consent you need for any work to the property.

Retrospective applications do not go down well with planning authorities if started and you must be mindful that any work undertaken before consent, is classed as a criminal not a civil offence.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel and if you prefer the heritage properties, help can be at hand with the use of our professional services to smooth the way.

With the right guidance and support, many types of work from minor repairs to large extensions are likely to be approved.

Top Tips we would recommend:

  1. Read the description of your Listed property on the Historic England National Heritage List, this will provide details of why the property is on the list and provide you with supportive information for any application.
  2. Check in with your Local Council to see what its thoughts are. This process can be assisted by working with a professional planning consultant who will already have good contacts with the Planning team. The Planning team may well have a Conservation Officer you can speak directly with.
  3. Review the previous planning history of the property to see what might have been approved and declined in the past.
  4. Do your own historical research on the property, look at Ordnance Survey plans, local archive offices to get a full picture of your building’s history.

We have worked on many projects concerning Heritage properties and understand the areas that can sometimes trip up residents who have over-ambitious plans for their heritage properties.

If you are thinking of buying one and require some research work to be completed or you currently own one and are considering some changes, please get in touch, we would love to work with you.

Why not call us for a FREE consultation today. For more information, please contact us at info@lavingham.com or send us a message via our social media platforms.

Planning approval rates grow

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The number of planning applications granted has steadily increased over the last decade up from 73.5% in 2010 to 80.5% now, new research has found.

Though the number of applications submitted is down by 4%. This number has stayed quite steady in general terms and with increased approval applications the number of actual houses being built has increased from 30% to 42% since 2010.

However, the introduced ethos of ‘presumption in favour of development’ via the National Planning Policy Framework does look to have boosted approvals, with an increase of 30,000 planning permissions per annum since 2014.

Reports have suggested that the increased approval rate has allowed more homes to be completed which has been complemented by a more efficient planning system.

If you need a hand getting your planning application into shape to get it through the planning process. Please do get in touch with us.

Why not call us for a FREE consultation today. For more information, please contact us at info@lavingham.com or send us a message via our social media platforms.

What exactly is a Certificate of Lawfulness?

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We recently mentioned we had been successful in obtaining a Certificate of Lawfulness for one of our clients. We were pleased to get this sorted for the Client, but thought it would be a good time to explain more about how and why this needed to be obtained.

The property had had the approved house foundations poured in the early 1990s, but no further building action had taken place after that. We felt that the planning permission was still live, but it was vital for the Client to be able to prove to the local planning department that the permission previously granted was still valid and binding. The process of investigating this can be quite lengthy and it is advisable to seek professional help like ours to get this sorted. Our investigation of this not only involved discussions with our Client but also delving back through the historic records contained at the North Yorkshire County Records Office.

So, what is a Certificate of Lawfulness?

A Certificate of Lawfulness, in this case, allows you to make a formal application for a certificate to determine whether your development can become lawful through the passage of time and can be continued without the need for further planning permission.

In this case the planning permission had been given and foundations laid, but no further building action had been taken. It required us to fully investigate the case, speak to Building Control to ascertain that they were still functional enough to build upon.

The issue of a certificate depends on factual evidence we can gather about the history and planning status of the site or building and interpret any relevant planning law. The granting of a certificate applies only to the lawfulness of the development carried out.

We were able to supply this evidence in this case, to allow the Council to provide the Client with the certificate  to satisfy any future interest or enforcement for the local planning authority, and to allow the Client the certainty that the permission for their house was valid.

Sometimes planning work can take up more time than you would like so it is advisable to take some professional advice. This is where we can help you. Why not call us for a FREE consultation today. For more information, please contact us at info@lavingham.com or send us a message via our social media platforms.

What are the benefits of using a professional planning consultant?

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Well we would know, so here is what we think!

Many planning consultants have previously worked for local councils or private planning practices – YES, we have, we have worked for over ten years in a Local Authority planning team as a Planning Officer and understand how your local council planning department works!

What else can we offer?

  • We like to get involved early in the process to view any plans and give our opinion on them to consider local council regulations and policies.

 

  • This could save a lot of money from the outset to prevent costs to redraw plans and other tweaks, or progressing a scheme      which the Council wouldn’t accept in principle.We can assess your current situation and ensure your necessary documentation is ready to go!

 

  • We can liaise directly with the planning department on the Client’s behalf and handle any Council requests and objections. Having one central point of contact can allow appropriate responses to be supplied to the Council and the Client being advised on what changes may need to be made to appease the Planning Committee.

Councils always request more information than you think, and a planning consultant can always be on hand to provide                    additional information in response to any additional questions.

By knowing the planning legislation and the rights of objectors and yourself as the applicant for the scheme, a planning                    consultant will handle your case on your behalf.

 

  • Handling your case at Appeal

If your development hits a snag and ends up at Appeal your planning consultant will become your point of contact and                      handle the whole process for you.

 

Thinking of making some changes in 2019?

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The start of a New Year is always a good time to get your life in order and make some plans – New Year, New You! This can also be the case if you are thinking of developing land to build a property to be your forever home or as a project if you are new to developing!

But do you know where to start? Then perhaps we can help!

Here some top pointers to look at:

Consider – The purchase price, purchase date and settlement.

Consider – Is there stamp duty on the purchase price?

Consider – Have you allocated budget for conveyancing and legal costs?

Consider – Consider some budget for architects, professional consultants, engineers, project managers and surveyors

Consider – Actual construction costs

Consider – Other rates and taxes based on property values

Consider – A contingency budget

Missed a couple on this list, or just need a friendly planning expert to chat to, then please get in touch and we know we can provide you with the up to date policy and planning information you need.

For more information, please contact us at info@lavingham.com or send us a message via our social media platforms.

Ten questions you should ask your town planner

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Ask away!

  1. Which authority/council will make the decision regarding my proposed project?
  2.  What is this council’s attitude towards development projects?
  3.  What experience do you have with applications to this particular authority?
  4.  Do you recommend a pre-application meeting with the council planners? Why or why not?
  5.  Do third parties (including neighbours) have a right to object to our proposal? If so, do you recommend neighbourhood consultation?
  6.  How long will the Planning Application process take?
  7.  Do I have a right of appeal to the council decision?
  8.  Do third parties (including neighbours) have a right to appeal the council’s decision?
  9.  In the event of an appeal, where are the likely costs?
  10. Will there be a need for additional applications to other authorities and at what cost?

For more information, please contact us at info@lavingham.com or send us a message via our social media platforms.

Building on Brownfield sites, can digital tools help?

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The National Housing Federation has recently showcased its tool for highlighting over 17,000 brownfield sites, totalling 27,700 hectares and potentially providing land for nearly 1 million homes.

This digital tool has been welcomed as a great way of seeing brownfield sites, but hasn’t considered some of the land that is not publicly owned or some parcels of land that are no longer available due to local plans being amended and updated.

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) have welcomed the provision of the tool as a potential to help tackle the housing crisis but are keen to for it to be used with caution and can help Local Authorities to see the potential of sites within their areas.

It will be interesting to see how these tools develop and help provide LAs, private developers and planners with options on sites in their areas and potentially achieve options on these instead of venturing onto green field sites.

We work with Local Authorities and private developers to look at land potential and can provide a wide range of services to assist with their assessment and future planning application options.

For more information, please contact us at info@lavingham.com or send us a message via our social media platforms.

 

How do I know if my barn conversion will need planning permission or not?

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We are often asked many questions about planning permission, and unfortunately a Yes or No is not always the answer. Of course we would always advise getting professional support when submitting a planning application on a range of options.

One area we often speak to our clients about is ‘what permissions are needed for barn conversions.’

Here are some of the situations where your planned barn conversion will not be permitted development and will still need planning permission:

  • if it is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
  • if it is a listed building
  • if it isn’t on an agricultural unit (e.g. if the barn is in a garden or paddock rather than on a farm).

Outside these rules, there are numerous grey areas to find out about.  We would be able to advise you on whether your planned conversion is permitted development or not.

Interested in finding out more?

For more information, please contact us at info@lavingham.com or send us a message via our social media platforms.