Planning Appraisals

A planning appraisal is often the best place to start when considering a new development or change of use.

Before recommending a planning application, we look at the full planning position of the site. The most obvious route is not always the best one.

There may be planning constraints, relevant planning history, policy issues or alternative routes such as permitted development, prior approval or lawful development that could affect your options.

Our role is to understand the opportunities and risks and recommend the planning strategy most likely to achieve a realistic outcome.

The level of detail depends on the project, but we will typically review:
- planning history;
- national and local planning policy;
- site designations and constraints;
- previous planning applications, refusals and appeals;
- the principle and potential scale of development;
- potential issues such as heritage, transport, ecology, flood risk and residential amenity;
- permitted development and prior approval options; and the risks, benefits and timescales of different planning routes.
The aim is not to produce a lengthy report for the sake of it.
We focus on what matters, where the risks are and what you should do next.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Depending on the site, we may recommend:
- moving directly to a planning application;
- seeking pre-application advice from the Council;
- exploring a permitted development or prior approval route;
- resolving a planning issue before progressing with the design; or
- reconsidering the proposed development.
Timescale and cost are also important. The best planning strategy is not always the most complicated one. Our advice is focused on finding a practical route that works for your project.
Planning, architectural and technical work can become expensive quickly.
A planning appraisal at an early stage can help you understand whether your proposal is realistic before significant money is spent on architects, surveys and technical reports.
It can also help avoid spending money on the wrong scheme or pursuing the wrong planning route.
That is why we see planning appraisals as strategic planning advice, rather than simply a box-ticking exercise.