Standing in the way of many homeowners dream homes is planning permission. The reason we have to seek planning permission for some home improvements and new builds is to ensure they are policy compliant and do not adversely impact on the local area. A quality and well-informed planning permission application provides you with the best chance at getting planning permission approved. There are a number of key areas you should look at to in order to submit a good planning application. We’ve listed below 4 great tips to help you:
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Research previous applications from your area
Have your neighbours, had an extension or has planning been granted for a new build within your area? Find out and understand what is going on in the area you live, this will give you an understanding of what you could likely get planning permission for. The simpler your project the less problems you are likely to have. However there are numerous issues you could run into even with small applications depending on your property. This could be for a variety of reasons such as impacts on your neighbours, greenbelt land conservation considerations etc;
If you are a homeowner intending to add an extension to your property just like one of your neighbours, the likelihood is the application will be straightforward. Although it is not guaranteed. Or, you could be a property developer who has purchased land with the intention to build houses, however there may be a listed building on the land and roads to the land may need improving. This would be a more complex application, however still achievable. Educating yourself about development within the local area puts you in a good position to see what could be achieved as well as identifying any pitfalls before starting.
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Research local planning policies
Depending on where you live there will be planning policies and other guidelines set in place to be adhered too. You can find these on your local councils’ website.
There are oftenmany documents within these policies that reading and knowing everything about them would take a lot of time. Outlined on the Planning Portal website, are some Key factors you should pay attention to within planning policies when applying for planning permission include:
- Loss of sunlight
- Noise or disturbance
- Capacity of physical infrastructure
- Effect on listed buildings and conservation area
- Layout and density of building design and finishing materials
- Overlooking and Loss of privacy
- Overshadowing and Loss of outlook
- Smell or fumes
- Loss or effect on trees
- Incompatible or unacceptable uses
- Highway issues including traffic generation, vehicular access, highway safety
Knowing where you stand with regards to any of these issues is vital when submitting planning permission.
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Recognise possibilities for rejection
As a follow on from the first two tips, making a list of reasons for rejection of your application is useful. The people who will be looking at your planning application are well versed with regards to foreseeable issues that arise from applications. If there is a reason for rejection of your application, submitting it without addressing it and hoping it will go unnoticed is a very risky strategy. It is much more time consuming to appeal a rejection than secure planning permission on first submission. Not to mention you will save money in the long run doing it right the first time round.
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Work with a professional
Engaging a Planning Consultant to prepare and submit your application in the long run will save to time, money and extra stress. Just like your local Planning Office, Planning Consultants are well versed in the process of applying for planning permission and the application of planning policies. If the first three tips in this article seem very daunting, a professional will do it all for you. They can evaluate the feasibility of your plan, then quickly and efficiently put together a strong and coherent application to give you the best chance of success.
About Us
We are MPD Built Environment Consultants based in the North of England. We cover many locations including Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and beyond. With over 30 year’s experience in all aspects of Planning, our team include Chartered Planners and Surveyors. We are members of RICS, RTPI, IHBC and various other bodies giving you confidence in the work we do.
Do you need help with a Planning Permission application? Get in touch with us today by clicking here.
