Lavingham Planning Consultants
Planning and Development Specialists in Yorkshire and the North East
We enjoyed our 5 year birthday for Lavingham Planning Consultants earlier in the month.
We thought we would share some of our fun facts we have calculated over this time.
If you’re thinking of your next big project, then please let us know, we would love to help.
We offer a free consultation for new clients, so please do drop us an email at info@lavingham.com. Or use our contact form online.
The Government has announced a consultation process on guidelines to speed up the planning system across England. In a report published at the beginning of August 2020 titled Planning for the Future, the Government provides detailed plans for changing a ‘relic’ of an existing system.
The plans aim to greatly improve the existing system which sees many potential planning applications refused because of previous stipulations.
The plans include re-energising local plans produced by the Local Planning Authority (LPA) so that land falls into one of three categories: growth, renewal or protected.
Automatic approval
The proposal outlines that planning permission would automatically be secured for areas categorised for growth. Some development would be permitted in renewal areas but would be restricted completely in protected areas.
Local Authorities will also be put under increasing pressure to ensure that planning approval for some bigger development projects is approved in under 30 months.
Priority for aesthetic developments
The Government also announced that high-quality development proposals would be likely to be granted automatic permission if they reflect local character and preferences.
The changes outlined by the Government mean that more applications will be granted immediately, whilst other more unique applications will be categorised, and approval will be granted based on new guidelines. The proposed guidelines suggest that following the implementation of the measures outlined, planning should be easier to achieve and less of a headache for all involved.
The reforms will mean:
Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:
“Our complex planning system has been a barrier to building the homes people need; it takes seven years to agree local housing plans and 5 years just to get a spade in the ground.”
Decisions on the Green Belt will stay with local authorities as they prepare their plans so that they can continue to protect and enhance these important areas for generations to come.
Following the publication of Planning for the future, the government will now consult with planners, lawyers and local government experts on the proposals, as well as interest groups and residents.
For more information on planning, please take a look at some of our past blogs.
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:
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.
Make sure 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.
First things first! Allow plenty of time for planning permission approval.
What can you do to minimise delays
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.
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.
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.
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.
