Frequently Asked Questions
A selection of the most frequently asked questions that we receive. If you have a question or concern about our services that’s not addressed below then please use our contact form to send us your question(s).
Q: “Why should I get planning law specialists like Land Planning Associates to pursue my planning permission rather than, say, my local Architect?”
A: The primary skill of Architects is the design of buildings, not winning planning permission.
Many Architects do, of course, submit planning applications and planning appeals, with varying degrees of success. Some even have a working understanding of planning law.
We have great respect for the skills of Architects, and we often work alongside a client’s own Architect.
But winning planning permission where the application is likely to be resisted by the planning authority requires an understanding of planning law to equal that of the planning authority. As planning law specialists, our expertise in that field often allows us to win planning permissions that other cannot.
Our clients also often use us because we are remote from their area and their planning authority, and therefore not likely to be over-friendly with planning authority staff or afraid to challenge them because we may be submitting another application to them next month and don’t want to upset them.
Q: “Can I come to your office and discuss my proposed project with you?”
A: Yes, certainly. Once we have completed our Initial Assessment and concluded that there is actually a viable project to discuss, we will arrange a meeting if it is necessary.
Any meeting before that Initial Assessment will be charged at our current consultancy fee rate of £147.00 per hour.
If you want to discuss a proposal prior to Initial Assessment, simply write for an appointment stating when you can attend, and we will arrange it.
Q: “Will you need to look at my land?”
A: We can arrange it if necessary. But normally an inspection is not necessary because we have access to a service providing satellite photography of all land in the UK.
The important things for us are (i) exactly where the land is, and (ii) what is around it. We can then investigate whether the planning permission you want can be won.
Q: “Can you win permission for dwellings outside the “village envelope” and in open countryside?”
A: Yes, sometimes. It depends entirely on the land and the circumstances.
There are no “standard answers” to planning questions, and there are exceptions even to the basic rule that dwellings will not normally be allowed in the countryside.
If your land is in open countryside, our Initial Assessment will examine ALL of the potential exceptions to the fundamental rule to see whether there are grounds for claiming an exemption which could win residential planning permission for your land, which we have achieved on numerous occasions.
Q: “What about Design And Access Statements ?”
A: These are required by law to accompany most planning applications from 10th August 2006.
They must be submitted with the planning application but are not formally part of it.
A separate quotation will be provided for a Design And Access Statement if your project involves a planning application.
No Design And Access Statement will be necessary if you have already been refused and are considering an Appeal against the refusal within the statutory time limit.