PLANNING APPLICATIONS - ADDITIONAL SERVICES

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Working with the Local Planning Authority (LPA)

Parsons & Whittley can, on your behalf, forge links and relationships with the Local Planning Authority to ensure that the lines of communication are always open in respect of your application.

This dialogue helps us to understand the needs and constraints of the development control process, as it applies to your particular application, and ensures that, wherever possible, your proposals have the easiest passage through the system.

Community Consultation

Parsons & Whittley can undertake on your behalf, and where appropriate, consultation with the various community bodies and other stakeholders, to listen to their views and concerns over any new proposed development.

This is an extremely worthwhile exercise, as it ensures that their views and comments are, where possible, taken into account. It also makes them feel part of the development process, and it can help to bring them 'on board' with the project, having had a chance to explain the purpose, shape and form behind any new proposals.

Statutory Authority Consultation

Parsons & Whittley can undertake consultations with the various statutory bodies and service providers, ensuring that their requirements are met within the proposals, and that the project is more 'developable'.

Project Presentations

Parsons & Whittley can provide (in addition to the statutory minimum), presentation materials in a variety of formats, which help to explain the proposals to lay people and other consultees, and to communicate the vision of the project to all those involved.

High quality presentations can assist the decision making process, particularly when it comes to visualising the overall picture and understanding the implications of a given project.

Contextual Studies

Parsons & Whittley can carry out studies of the context of the development both in terms of the immediate character and in terms of the wider context of the development proposals. Incorporating this information into the formal submission can ease the decision process.

Design Statements

Parsons & Whittley can prepare a design statement which indicates how the design of the project has evolved, how it has dealt with the various constraints, and why the particular solution has been adopted. Its main purpose is to explain the design aspects of the proposal in simple terms, helping those involved in the decision making process to come to an early decision.

The design statement is also useful because it can incorporate information that cannot easily be shown in the drawings or application forms, and it helps people to understand the application, particularly for lay consultees.

Planning Committees

It is possible nowadays to speak to planning committees and present the arguments for any given project, albeit in a limited time. However having a professional representative at committee also helps to gauge how the planning committee are dealing with similar proposals, and to understand their likely view on your proposal.

Parsons & Whittley are able to research the make up of any particular planning committee, and advise on how best to lobby the members of the committee. In addition we are able to present details of an application direct to the planning committee at their meeting.

Traffic Impact Assessments

Parsons & Whittley are, where appropriate, able to commission specialist reports on the highway and traffic implications of your proposal, and to present these to the Local Planning Authority. This is generally only necessary where the Highways aspects of a particular application are likely to be contentious.

Structural Reports & Appraisals

Some planning applications require the inclusion of structural engineer's reports, particularly the conversion of redundant agricultural buildings.

Parsons & Whittley can identify those applications where this is required, and commission the preparation of reports in respect of the stability of existing buildings for conversion, their value in the landscape and so on.

Submitting these reports along with the planning application can save time and make the application more likely to attract consent.

Site & Tree Surveys

It is now becoming increasingly necessary to provide detailed information on the site and its constraints with any planning application. Parsons & Whittley are able to commission the preparation of detailed survey drawings indicating the significant or relevant features of the site, including significant or protected trees, site levels, service positions and the like for submission with the planning application.

The provision of information relating to trees in the vicinity of the proposal is becoming a requirement before applications are registered or accepted and it is important to recognise where this is the case and to provide the information as necessary.

In addition, this information is able to assist in the following detailed design stages of the project and make for a more practical solution, with less error and uncertainty than projects that do not have this information.

Flood Risk Assessments

It is important to include with any planning application, a consideration and investigation of the risks to the project from flooding, and to investigate the likely contribution of the project to flooding problems in the area.

Parsons & Whittley are able to commission an appropriate report, including recommendations to mitigate damage and risk where necessary. Submission of such a report along with the planning application will save time and delay in the processing of the planning application, and make the granting of consent more likely.