Application Process

About The Application Process

We hope this gives you some insight into the Planning Application Process, if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Planning

Should Planning Permission be required for your project, then we have the knowledge and experience
to handle the process through to a successful conclusion.

Once the Application has been submitted, it will be validated by the Local Council using a comprehensive checklist that must be adhered to. All the necessary documentation must accompany the application and drawings must contain the correct information.

It may be necessary to include such requirements as a Design & Access Statement, Heritage Statement
and a Bat Survey and/or Ecology Statement. The Application will generally take around 8 weeks to determine and during this time a consultation process will take place in which neighbours’ are formally notified and given the opportunity to ‘support’ or ‘object’ to the proposal. Various council departments and external authorities (eg Coal mining/ Rivers Authorities) are also notified and asked to comment.

Once the deadline for the above has passed, the appointed Planning Officer will visit site and assess the
proposal in its setting and review both the National and Local Councils Planning guidelines and produce a Report with a recommendation for the Decision. A Senior Officer will then review the application and sign off the Decision if he has delegated powers to do so, otherwise it may, in some circumstances, be put forward to the next available Planning Committee. Conditions may be attached to the Planning permission such as confirmation of External materials and parking requirements to be implemented.

In circumstances where Planning Permission is refused, it is possible to Appeal against the Decision,
provided there are genuine Planning reasons to do so. This can be a costly process and mainly requires
the services of a Town Planner and sometimes requires specialist Legal advice. It is therefore simpler to review the proposal and Planners feedback, and then to re-submit the application, which the Council does not charge for, if submitted within 12 months of the decision. ( this option is currently under review )

Permitted Development

There are many instances where formal Planning Permission is Not required for a proposal.
The Permitted Development Rules cover a number of both Residential and Commercial projects.

If you search the online Planning Portal website you will find some helpful guidance. For example, a typical dwelling could have a full width rear extension extending out 3 metres for a semi-detached and 4 metres for a detached house. Under a separate Neighbour Consultation Scheme, these distances can be increased to 6 metres and 8 metres respectively, subject to certain height restrictions.

You will also be allowed to build a Loft conversion under PD rights, providing the volume externally beyond the original side/ rear roof slope does not exceed 40 cubic metres for a terraced property and 50 cubic metres otherwise. (subject to meeting other criteria also)

We recommend, however, that you obtain a Formal confirmation from the Council to confirm that Planning Permission is not required for the proposal. This is called a Lawful Development Certificate and is a useful document for if you ever decide to sell the house in the future. This process generally takes around 6 weeks and the Council Fee is £103.

The PD Rules apply to properties that are Not in a Conservation Area, Listed Buildings or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. For these, you will require Planning Permission.

Building Regulations

Once Planning Permission has been gained, the Construction or Working drawings are then produced, which are necessary to obtain Building Regulations Approval from the Council.

The Building Regulations are the Government’s Standards for all aspects of Construction in England & Wales to ensure that minimum standards are maintained and the Health and Safety of people in those buildings are a priority. The Local Authority will appoint a dedicated Building Control Officer to check over the plans to ensure they are compliant. We will generally also need to appoint a Structural Engineer to produce a Structural Design & Calculations for any steel beams or structural timbers, and these will be submitted to accompany the application.

You can also use a Private Building Control Service if you or your Builder would prefer.
Once we have received the Approval Notice from the Council, and you have appointed a Contractor, you are then ready to commence Building Work. The Building Inspector will then visit site at regular intervals to Inspect the work and approve ready for the next stage. He will also provide a formal Completion Certificate once all the work has finished.