Lavingham Planning Consultants

Planning and Development Specialists in Yorkshire and the North East

News

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.

 

We could be your planning specialists, come and say Hello!

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We are town and rural planning and development specialists.

We have been in business for the last two years but have developed a huge amount of experience as our principle, Andrew Cunningham, has spent 10 years of his professional life working in North Yorkshire in a local authority as part of their planning team.

In addition, to this varied experience, Andrew also holds an MSc in Town Planning and is a full member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. This experience, qualifications and excellent local authority knowledge of handling the full range of planning application types is a perfect way to ensure that your planning application is managed through the complex and increasingly challenging planning system.

Andrew set up Lavingham Planning Consultants to apply his specialist knowledge of planning particularly in a

  • rural
  • urban
  • heritage context

to provide comprehensive, good value advice, tailored to client’s needs, to achieve the best possible outcome for clients, hopefully adding value to their property, portfolio or land holding.

We are based in North Yorkshire but engage with clients throughout the UK.

We do not charge a fee for an initial local site visit, or a telephone or email consultation about your development proposal. So please do contact us via our social media platforms, give us a call or drop us an email, with your enquiry!

The planning process – What do you need to know!

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Planning applications have a ‘straightforward’ journey to approval. So they say….

For times where the path isn’t straightforward or even when it is, we like to help you to get there with the least amount of hassle, frustration, confusion etc etc etc.

Before you start on this journey, we wanted you to have a bit more background information about the planning process and how we can help.

Step 1 – Get professional plans drawn and your application completed, highlighting the positive aspects of your application. – We can help you prepare it and submit for you.

Step 2 – Once the application is submitted, the planning authority will publicise your application locally, and will notify immediate neighbours/businesses. – We can keep you in touch with developments in the application process and liaise directly with the planning team to answer any questions.

Step 3 – The public has a few weeks to comment on the application, to object or support it.- We monitor all public comments and gather additional information from the other consultees.

Step 4 – A decision is made on the application, usually within eight weeks of being submitted, on occasion it may be considered by the full planning committee on the recommendations of the planning officers. – We can attend the committee meeting with you or on your behalf, and present to the committee to answer questions.

Step 5 – Success, most planning applications are approved without issue, but if an application is refused it is important you get the right support and advice to see what your options are. If you wish to go to an appeal – We can be right by your side to provide additional information, and policy advice to get the best outcome from the Planning Inspectorate.

We can also provide our services from the other side, if you have concerns about a proposed planning application affecting you or your business?

We can help you to put across your objections in a concise way – don’t delay in getting involved.

If planning permission has already been granted, you have no right to appeal against the granting of permission, so don’t leave it too late.

We hope this helps you understand the process and how our involvement can make the process easier, positive and achieve the right result.

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

 

 

Why are we different?

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What can we offer you that no other planning consultant can?

  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Results

These are just three of the commitments we offer to our clients as we care as much about your project as you do!

Honesty – We are sure all of our colleagues around the UK are honest and above board, as are we. But we believe in being honest and realistic with our clients about their projects and don’t offer to play the planning system as if it were a poker game. We know our planning regulations well and as previously being part of the planning system with our local District Council for a number of years we do feel we have an insight into how the Council thinks, operates and makes informed decisions.

Integrity – As the definition states – ‘good character, principles, ethics, morals, righteousness, morality, right-mindedness, virtue, decency, fairness, sincerity etc’. We tick all of those boxes. We are always totally 100% behind your project from the beginning all the way to the end, whilst keeping your needs in mind.

Results – We do believe in our results! In two years, we have been involved in over 79 planning projects and have 98% success record. We think that is worth shouting about!

If you would like to work with us, then please do get in touch, our website will tell you all about the type of work we do! Go to www.lavingham.com and consider us for your next project!

Cat Hotel, yes really!

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We recently were delighted to work with a client who has an interesting planning requirement for a Cat Hotel!!

It was a first for us, but that’s what we like about our job, it always shows us something different!

We were pleased that our clients got their approval for the cat hotel and will be welcoming their new guests in the future.

But it got us thinking? Cat Hotels – what are owners and their cats looking for?

Take a look at the world’s most luxurious cat hotels here!

Definitely paws for thought!!!!

If you have an unusual project we can help you with, then please get in touch at www.lavingham.com or on our social media!

Need planning advice?

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Looking for planning advice? We often meet with Clients who are unsure whether they need planning permission for their next project. We understand it can be a minefield with changes to the guidance provided, but we take our time to make sure we are fully up to date with all of the legislation and do our best to make it understandable and work effectively for your project ideas. The formal line from the Government states:

Planning permission is only needed if the work being carried out meets the statutory definition of ‘development’ which is set out in section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

‘Development’ includes:

  • building operations (eg structural alterations, construction, rebuilding, most demolition);
  • material changes of use of land and buildings;
  • engineering operations (eg groundworks);
  • mining operations;
  • other operations normally undertaken by a person carrying on a business as a builder.
  • subdivision of a building (including any part it) used as a dwellinghouse for use as 2 or more separate dwelling houses

We can help work through these with you to make the path to your project approval as easy as possible.

If it is not necessary to make a planning application, are there any other steps required before the development goes ahead?

Even if a planning application is not needed, other consents may be required under other regimes. The following list is not exhaustive but illustrates some of the other permissions or consents that may need to be obtained before carrying out development:

  • works to protected trees
  • advertisement consent
  • listed building consent
  • hazardous substances consent
  • environmental permits/licences
  • building regulations
  • Scheduled ancient monument consent

Again we are on hand to liaise with the Local Authorities, and professional agencies to get the desired result for your project.

We are here for all of your planning needs.

Why not call us for a quick chat, contact us on info@lavingham.com Tel: 01609 617618 or 07432 789481