A common question that is posed to our team of planners on a regular basis is: “I just want to know… can I get planning permission for XYZ…?”
Well, as much as we would love to be able to give an immediate and definitive answer, the truth is that it depends on a whole host of considerations which range across local, national and personal perspectives.
Examples of these include:
- Site constraints;
- Site context;
- Local policies;
- Neighbourhood policies;
- National policies;
- Emerging policies;
- National guidance and Written Ministerial Statements;
- Planning legislation;
- Other material considerations;
- Local politics;
- Quality of council;
- Precedents;
- Your aspirations;
- Your budget;
- Your time-frame.
To understand the interplay of these sorts of factors, we have penned a couple of scenarios below to help illustrate the interlinked nature of the issues.
Scenario 1
You could have a site that is in conflict with a Local Plan – so on the face of it you have little chance of planning permission. However, we manage to foster local political support, unearth a few strong appeal precedents, and produce evidence to show that the council cannot demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply. What started as a no-hoper suddenly has a good chance of securing planning permission.
Scenario 2
A site is fully aligned with a Local Plan – so on the face of it planning permission should be guaranteed. However, there is local political opposition and a competing site in the vicinity. There is a chance if the client moves quickly, but they don’t have funding for the necessary technical reports. What should have been a simple project can suddenly become fraught with difficulty.
How we can help:
Many of the factors outlined above are constantly changing and evolving, and this often creates a shifting risk profile for any project.
At Plainview Planning we review and evaluate these key factors at an early stage in the project so that you know what the risks are and what strategies we can implement to help offset those risks.
Our experienced team have added value to hundreds of planning applications and appeals over the years. If you need professional planning support then contact us today to discuss your development project and see how we can best help.