HOW TO BE CERTAIN OF PLANNING SUCCESS
Planning consultant Martin Gaine shares his top seven tips for ensuring your application to build is approved by your local council
Jonathan and Joanna Lunn’s plot for their Baufritz (
www.baufritz.co.uk) self build on the edge of the South Downs National Park already came with planning permission when they purchased it. However, the original design was quite traditional, while the couple were looking for a more contemporary style. They decided to hire a planning consultant, which helped them to successfully secure consent for the home they wanted.
They had to provide ecology surveys during the process, and a condition of their permission was to build bat boxes for any potential nests Sometimes, when you’re applying for planning permission, you are not just hopeful of being granted the green light –it’s critical that you get it. Of course, it’s impossible to be sure that planning permission will be granted first time. Even if your proposal seems entirely uncontroversial or if you have spent countless hours ensuring that you have covered every possible objection imaginable, you cannot know how neighbours or other consultees will respond, or what unexpected objection your case officer or the council’s planning committee might suddenly raise against it.
Though you can’t guarantee success, there is much you can do to maximise your chances. To help with your planning journey, here is my guide to putting together and managing abulletproof planning application with the best possible chance of getting aquick and easy approval.