A planning application is no mean undertaking these days and simply getting a planning application registered at the Council can be something of an art. If you don’t predict and produce precisely the information which they want, they will simply come back to you and demand it leading to lengthy delays. Equally working to their checklists they will often demand documents which you could spend a fortune on consultants to produce. Submitting applications day-in day-out we know what the Council will be looking for and we know all the work-arounds to save you time and money.
The presentation of applications can be all important. For example the Design and Access Statement (a statutory requirement in some applications) has multiple functions: it must fulfill the statutory requirements, it must communicate the proposal in technical terms to the Council Planning Officer and other specialists who may be consulted on the proposal, it must stand up to the scrutiny of members of the public who tend to dissect every word and finally it must persuade the local politicians at the Council.
But the application submission itself is just one half of the equation. If you put in an application and simply sit back and await the outcome very often that outcome is unlikely to be the one you want! To get the best possible chance of success, avoiding delays and unnecessary costs you need someone who is on the ball, in regular contact with the planning officer and “consultees”, reacting quickly to any issues arising and ensuring your application remains right at the top of the pile and is approved as soon as it can be.