Planning policies for new housing often make up the bulk of local policy, and can be a minefield. From design and density issues through to affordable housing contributions and S106 agreements.
We approach each new build project methodically and diligently to ensure every policy issue is addressed from the start.
- Feasibility Study – This normally forms Stage 1 of our projects. We review local policies and precedents to assess your chances of securing permission.
- Design – If we determine that the site has merit and broadly complies with local policy then we set about helping architects come up with a design that maximises the site whilst remaining within the confines set by the Council.
- Planning and Design & Access Statements – All of our applications are accompanied with comprehensive statements setting out the policy background of the site and the steps we have taken to create a permissable site. We always try and second-guess a Council’s potential reasons for refusal and make sure we have an answer in place.
- Community consultation – For some sites, especially larger developments, active engagement with the local community can reduce the level of opposition. Depending on the situation we can produce mail-outs, websites or hold public meetings to ensure the community understand the proposed development and have a chance to express their opinion.
- Other studies – Some sites require specialist studies. Many of these Plainview Planning can undertake in-house including light surveys, contextual studies and 3D modeling. If a site requires formal transport assessments or environmental surveys then we can recommend our partner consultancies.
- Submission of application – All of our applications are submitted via the online 1APP system for speed and convenience.
- Liaison with case officer – Throughout the determination of the planning application we regularly contact the case officer to answer any concerns they may have.
- Affordable Housing and S106 agreements – If the development is large enough then the Council will likely seek some form of financial contribution from the developer. We can help with the negotiation and try and minimise the sums involved.
Case Studies and News
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Residential development in Gloucester
The proposed development consisted of a detached bungalow on an infill plot in the Podsmead area of Gloucester. Council Gloucester City Council Issues The application had been previously refused with the decision notice stating that the development was overly cramped due to the narrow nature of the plot. The applicant...Continue reading
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Community Tennis Court in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Our client wished to build a tennis court on estate land for his own use, but which could also be used by the local village community. Council Cotswold District Council Issues The land earmarked for the tennis court was within the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and adjacent...Continue reading
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Hotel redevelopment to 15 apartments
We have secured planning consent for 15 luxury apartments at a hotel on the Isle of Wight. Our client was faced with difficulty selling his hotel as a going concern, so approached us for help with trying to make his property a more attractive investment. Plainview Planning managed the whole...Continue reading
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Change of use of pub to residential
Our client approached us to regularise her residential occupation of a Public House despite the fact that the pub had not traded for 7+ years. We recommended a Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use which required us to prove that the pub had been lived in exclusively and continuously for 4+...Continue reading
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Appeal win at historic barn conversion
Our client was trying to add a large 2 storey extension to his barn conversion. Horsham District Council resisted three separate applications for the proposal, and eventually we were instructed to lodge an an appeal. There were two main reasons for refusal: Impact on the countryside; and Impact on a...Continue reading
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New guidance on Permitted Development regulations
At last. After 18 months of debate/argument over how to interpret household permitted development rights, a technical guidance document has been published by the Communities and Local Government. It is a 49 page document with fairly helpful illustrations trying to clarify the ambiguous language of the original Town and Country...Continue reading
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Garden Grabbing
On 9th June 2010 the Government implemented the commitment made in the Coalition Agreement to decentralise the planning system by giving Local Authorities the opportunity to prevent overdevelopment of neighbourhoods and ‘garden grabbing’. The Government amended Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS3) to exclude residential gardens from the definition of 'previously developed...Continue reading
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