Planning permission for land and property development
Before you start work on any building or land, you will need to consider whether you need to seek planning permission from the relevant local authority. Whilst there are now some types of work that are covered by what is known as ‘permitted development’, if you proceed to carry out works without permission, you could easily land yourself in hot water with the planning authorities and end up spending thousands of pounds to put right your work.
Whether it’s a small extension to your home, converting your commercial property to residential dwellings or building a brand new office complex, considering what permissions you need beforehand is good practice.
Here at the Land Buying Experts, we have helped hundreds of clients – private and business – to undertake the planning permission process from putting together a pre-application sketch scheme, which will give you an indication of the likelihood of your plan being accepted, to formulating a full planning application.
We can work with any architects, developers or planning agents that you have appointed to work on your proposed development. If permission is refused, we can also help you review the application and make the necessary changes required by the authorities in order to re-submit.
As previously mentioned, certain types of work are covered by 'permitted development'. This means that they can be carried out without planning permission but they must comply with the permitted development rules and restrictions.
There are however, situations where permitted development rights may have been modified or removed so it is advisable to seek advice even if you are fairly confident that planning permission is not required for your development.
Once a planning application is submitted to the relevant planning authority, planning officers will review the application and will consider some or all of the following:
- Size, layout, site and external appearance of the proposed buildings/extensions
- Effect of your proposals on any neighbouring properties
- Proposed means of access, landscaping and impact on the neighbourhood
- Proposed use of the development
If planning permission is granted, there will be a number of consents and planning conditions that you will need to satisfy, which can include:
- Building material specifications
- Types of windows
- Roof tiles
- Landscaping
- Environmental
- Contamination Issues
Planning applications can be delayed or refused – in either case our experts will be able to help you get back on track - whether that’s liaising on your behalf with the local authority planning department to discuss changes to the application, appealing the decision if you consider it to be unreasonable or working on an updated application for re-submission.
The planning process is often complex and costly. Our vast years’ of experience tell us that it pays in the longer term to have specialist advice and guidance from the outset. If you have any queries about submitting an application or perhaps you’ve had one recently refused and are unsure how to move forward, our property experts will be able to help. Simply call us on 01202 684400 or email us at info@landbuyingexperts.co.uk for more information.
