You call or email us with a planning dilemma that you are having trouble with. We will ask for you to send the full address, the development details and what stage you are at. This will give us a clear understanding of the issues you are facing.

Once you have briefed us, we will go away and study the proposed development, site context, local policies and formulate a planning strategy (or several) that will achieve the planning result you require. 

If we think planning can be successful, we will assess what documents and actions are necessary  and cost up the project from our end. We operate from an internal fee schedule which focuses on agreeing fixed-fee quotes in most instances, meaning no hourly billing unless we are called on-site or for a meeting. This customer friendly fee structure provides our clients with a great degree of certainty over our costs so they can factor them into their overall development expenditure.

As a member of The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) with any new work we take on we must draft a client agreement to be signed by the client. This confidential document will include the client’s full contact details, project details, fee schedule and terms and conditions. This client agreement will be emailed through DocuSign for an electronic signature, meaning no printing or scanning from your end! In line with GPDR regulations we will not share any personal data unless requested by the client to obtain quotes from other consultants.

Once the client agreement is signed and received, we will set about preparing and collating the necessary documentation. This could include  producing application forms, cover letters, reports, assessments and statements or instructing the necessary consultants.

When the project documents are completed we submit them to the local planning authority or the client if the project involved a scoping report or viability assessment. We always send the submission documents to the client first to be signed off before they are submitted to a local planning authority. This stage will usually involve submission through Planning Portal or Planning Applications Wales.

If we have submitted an application or appeal on your behalf, we will send you a document detailing the application stages and predicted ETA so you can follow the process. Typically for an application, the Council will receive and validate the submission, conduct a public consultation, negotiate then either grant or refuse planning permission. We will manage each step and keep you informed.

Given that all applications are subjected to public and statutory consultation, it is quite uncommon that the Council will not request further details or amendments to the application documents or proposed development. If a fixed-fee client agreement has been signed, we will not invoice any further charges for the necessary amendments, so we will continue to make amendments free of charge until the project has ended under the agreement. This is important to note as most planning consultants will begin charging hourly rates for these amendments which can become very costly!

Once the Council have made their decision, they usually release an officer delegated report detailing their appraisal of the application and reasons for refusing or granting planning permission. We will fully assess the decision documents and debrief with the client.

After the decision debriefing, there is often further planning actions required, such as discharging planning conditions or phasing up the development that we can advise on. Whilst under most client agreements our terms of service end on the decision, we still go beyond the decision date to advise you further and are more than happy for you to call us months down the line about planning or for friendly catchup!