Complex & Previously Refused Projects
Some planning projects do not fit neatly into a standard service category.
They may have already been refused. There may be several overlapping policy problems. A large consultant team may be involved. The design may have evolved without a clear planning strategy. Or the client may simply have reached the point where they need someone to step back, understand the whole problem and work out what to do next.
These are often the projects where we add the most value.
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If an application has been refused, the useful question is not simply ‘how do we overturn the refusal?’
It is: why, precisely, did the proposal fail?
That can require a much more nuanced review than reading the reasons on the decision notice.
We look at the officer report, consultation responses, policy position, design evolution, technical evidence, relevant precedent and any previous appeal decisions to understand which issues are fundamental and which can realistically be overcome.
The answer may be a revised application. It may be an appeal. It may require new technical evidence or a relatively small design change. Occasionally the correct advice is that the scheme needs a more substantial rethink.
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A resubmission should not simply be the previous application with a new planning statement.
The Amar Nursing Home project is a good example. Two earlier applications had been refused before Tetrick Planning became involved. The later application addressed the previous issues through changes to the accommodation itself and a much clearer planning and operational case. The Council accepted that the earlier concerns had been overcome and planning permission was granted.
That is the approach we take to previously refused schemes: understand the real reason for failure and change what needs to change.
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Our experience is not limited to one development type.
Before establishing Tetrick Planning, the practice’s director worked on major and technically complex development involving large multidisciplinary teams. That background carries through into the way we manage complicated smaller and medium-sized projects today.
We are comfortable coordinating numerous technical disciplines, dealing with overlapping planning issues and keeping the wider planning strategy coherent while individual consultants focus on their specialist areas.
That may involve:
architects and design teams;
heritage and townscape specialists;
transport consultants;
noise and acoustic consultants;
daylight and sunlight specialists;
ecologists and arboricultural consultants;
flood-risk and drainage consultants;
energy and sustainability consultants;
viability or market evidence; and
other technical disciplines required by the particular site.
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Planning is not always linear.
A pre-application response may change the design. A prior approval may establish a fallback. An Inspector may dismiss an appeal but make findings that unlock a revised application. A Council objection may be capable of being resolved with evidence rather than redesign.
The role of the planning consultant is to keep the overall objective in view and adapt the route when the evidence changes.
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We are particularly well suited to projects where:
there is an existing refusal or difficult planning history;
the Council has raised a significant policy objection;
the project involves multiple planning and technical constraints;
several possible planning routes need to be compared;
a large consultant team needs strategic planning coordination;
an enforcement issue overlaps with an application or appeal; or
the client needs a clear second opinion before committing further cost.
Need a Fresh Planning Strategy?
If a project has become stuck, has already been refused or needs more strategic planning input, we can review the whole position and advise on the strongest route forward.
Contact Tetrick Planning to discuss a complex or previously refused project.
