Lavingham Planning Consultants

Planning and Development Specialists in Yorkshire and the North East

Residential planning

Appeal success!

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We are delighted to have been successful in three planning appeals we have worked on recently.

Working with our clients across North Yorkshire, we have managed to overturn the decision of the Local Planning Authority to make our Client’s plans become a reality.

#1 A new dwelling in Ainderby Steeple was initially turned down by the Council.

We worked with our Client to overturn this decision and allow planning consent to be approved by the Planning Inspectorate who undertook a site visit and carefully considered the additional information we were able to provide.

Our Clients were delighted.

#2 We also worked with our Client to help them to get the refusal of a retrospective application to alter an existing porch on their property overturned. The original application was retrospective so the Inspectorate were able to view the alterations to the porch in question.

The property is close to Bedale and the Inspectorate commented:

The materials are consistent with those used in the host dwelling and the obscure glazing does not look unattractive. The development has a minor impact on the overall appearance of the dwelling and does not look out of place.

 And continued with

 The porch does not harm to the outlook from the neighbouring property as it is a very small structure and cannot have an overbearing impact.

Based on these comments and many more from the Inspectorate the refusal was overturned.

 #3 Our final recent success on appeal, was the construction of a replacement dwelling in Danby Wiske.

The development proposed was a revised application for the demolition of an existing dwelling and construction of a replacement dwelling.

There were underlying concerns about the potential flood risks for the new property. We worked hard with our Clients and external consultants to demonstrate that this replacement property would not be at risk of flooding or add to any flood risk by harmfully displacing water elsewhere.


A further key part of this scheme was the design of the property and how it was viewed in the context of the site and the surrounding street scene. We demonstrated to the Planning Inspectorate, with assistance from a landscape architect what the street scene character was, and how it would not be adversely affected by the new replacement dwelling.

Again, we helped to provide evidence and technical know-how to work with our Client to get this decision overturned.

So, don’t be disappointed if your planning application doesn’t go your way, there could be a way forward with some compromise and additional explanation. We are professional planning consultants and understand what the Planning Inspectorate expects to see to help them make the right decision.

If you have concerns about your current planning application or have already received a decision, not in your favour, then please do contact us on 01609 617618 / 07432 789481 or drop us an email at info@lavingham.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you considered using permitted development rights instead of planning permission?

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If you don’t feel you have the skills, time or budget for a planning application process you could consider arranging your planned work so it falls within permitted development rights (no planning permission required)

Some loft conversions and property alterations can be considered under the permitted development rights.

Points to note if you are considering this as an option:

  • Check whether your property is within an area where the rights are more restricted (i.e. Conservation Areas, Article 4 Directions or National Parks)
  • Check whether your property had its permitted development rights removed when it was built – the Council will be able to advise you on this, but may charge you for this service.
  • You may still need to get building regulations approval for any work – this may well still apply even if planning permission has not been sought.
  • Check the Planning Portal for England’s Interactive House – this can give you an idea as to whether or not your property alterations would require planning permission.

As with every part of the planning process, it’s best to do your research and get advice from the local authority if you’re unsure about what you can do. Even if your alterations are permitted development and don’t require planning permission it is worth getting this in writing from your local authority for future conveyancing purposes. It is important to note that most Councils charge for this service.

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.

Are planning permission applications free?

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Some are but most sadly are not!  And it can vary depending on the size and scale of your project. Don’t be caught out with unexpected additional costs too.

Make sure you:

  • Understand and know what type of permission you need to apply for and the associated fees. (We can help and advise on this)
  • Add in a little additional budget as a contingency, in case additional costs are required and necessary to progress your application, such as site specific surveys.
  • Use FREE tools that are available online such as the Planning Portal for England’s fee calculator or speak to us and we can advise.

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.

Top tips to get your planning permission approved

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First things first! Allow plenty of time for planning permission approval.

Planning applications are not decided in a couple of weeks and if you have complex plans you have to be aware that the deadline may need to be extended.

What can you do to minimise delays

  • Research your local council’s timeframes and their performance figures to be sure how your council process works within the statutory timeframes to get an idea of how much time you will need to allow.
  • Make sure your application is correctly completed with all the necessary supporting information, this is something we are happy to advise you on.
  • Be vigilant – you may receive actions to respond to, to help further your application, the quicker you respond the better, as it will help your application to continue moving.
  • Be realistic about possible delays, if your builder or contractors are ready to start work on the day of your application decision, maybe build in some time for possible application delays, you don’t want to lose your good builder!

Avoid changing plans after work has started, unless the Council specifically ask you to.

Before you submit your application make sure you pull together all of your information and get your advice ready in support of your application. Getting professional advice and support at this stage could be a vital step to ensuring a smooth application process.

Of course, sometimes, things do go awry and changes will need to be considered, just make sure you speak directly with your planning department as quickly as possible or engage a professional planning consultant to advise you at every stage.

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.

Interested in reading other blogs we have written on planning, please go here

 

Using a professional at a planning committee

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As part of our role as a professional planning consultant we often act for our Clients when the applications are dealt with by the local Council Planning Committee.

Standing up and speaking in public can be daunting for some of our customers and we have found we can provide concise policy driven information related to your cases eloquently to the committee to get a positive outcome.

Understanding the way the Planning Committee works and knowing what they want to hear can take some time to process whereas we have experience from both sides of the table you hopefully get the outcome you desire.

We have recently been successful in representing one of our Clients in the Committee process where the recommended decision from the Planning Officer was to refuse the application, but by standing and speaking for our Client we were able to relay the true facts of the application to the Committee and the development was approved.  Our Client was delighted.

You would be surprised how cost-effective Planning Committee representation is. Do get in touch to find out how we offer great value as professional planning consultants.

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 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.