BCP Council (Poole): Matt Annen, a director of the firm is pleased to share the news that he has FINALLY secured planning permission for a stunning replacement dwelling in Lilliput. This state of the art, contemporary detached family dwelling with fantastic panoramic views of Poole Harbour and direct water access was designed by local architects;  Anders Roberts Cheer.

We say finally, because what should have been a relatively straight forward application has ended up being a complete nightmare for our client because of the diabolical service received from BCP Council. We think it is important to share our experience of certain applications in order that other applicants who read this and are in a similar situation are assured delays are being experienced across the board which we are told is as a result of these “unprecedented times dealing with huge volumes of work” and being compounded by “serious resource issues”.

This recently approved scheme was near identical to a previous application submitted in June 2020 and to date we still have not received a decision for that first scheme. This is because the planning officer for the 1st scheme had written the scheme up for an approval, however left the authority in September last year when it was reallocated to a senior officer since that time nothing further has happened whatsoever. So we had no option but to appeal non-determination of that first scheme and resubmit a revised almost identical scheme.

Thankfully the revised scheme was re-allocated to a different officer and the level of communication, dialogue and service was 1000 times better and following a slight tweak the scheme was determined shortly after the target date.

If you are planning a similar “grand design” or thinking of building your own “forever home” and would like a firm of planning consultants to push your vision through the planning system to a successful conclusion, then please do not hesitate to contact us to find out how we can help you.