HELPING YOU ACHIEVE PLANNING PERMISSION
Orb Property Planning guides you through the planning process and helps maximise your chances of getting planning permission.
Find out more about how we have helped clients get planning permission for their home extensions, new builds and conversions and commercial property developments.
HOW CAN YOU HELP ME GET PLANNING PERMISSION?
Your first step is to call us. One of our planning experts will talk to you about your planning permission needs and then email you a quote.
We will arrange a visit to your home or business at a time that suits you to take measurements and answer any questions that you have about the planning permission process.
We will then create architectural drawings showing your existing property and your planned changes, which we will send to you for review.
Once you are happy with the drawings, we will prepare and submit an application for planning permission to your local planning authority.
If you decide to go for our full pre-construction service, as well as helping you get planning permission, we will also take care of the building regulations process for you.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE PLANNING PERMISSION PROCESS AND HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
Your local planning authority decides whether it is ok to make major changes to an existing building, build new buildings, or change the use of a piece of land or building. This is called planning permission.
If you are applying for full planning permission, your local planning authority may require a range of architectural drawings such as floor plans and elevations drawings, a design and access statement, and a planning statement. We can prepare all of these for you. It takes eight weeks to get a decision about planning permission from your local planning authority.
While the local planning authority is making a decision about your planning permission, we keep in contact with the planning officer overseeing your case. The local planning authority will contact your neighbours for their views, the planning officer will visit the site, and we will make any necessary amendments to address any concerns raised by the planning officer during the planning permission decision period.
DO YOU OFFER AN EXPRESS SERVICE FOR PLANNING PERMISSION APPLICATIONS?
We think that the time we take to prepare planning drawings and submit planning applications is fast, but if you have a very tight timetable, we can offer an express service for an extra fee. Please call us to find out more our planning applications express service.
It will always take your local planning authority about eight weeks to consider an application for planning permission.
HOW MUCH DO YOU COST?
We are a small team of planning experts and our fees are highly competitive. Find out more about our packages here or contact us. Unlike many other planning companies, we explain all of our costs upfront.
WHY ARE YOU SO SUCCESSFUL AT GETTING PLANNING PERMISSION?
We provide a personal service, tailored to our clients’ needs.
Our team includes planning experts with experience of working in local authority planning departments. This helps maximise our chances of getting you planning permission.
We also have expertise in all aspects of the planning permission process, including building regulations and party wall agreements, so we can work through all the complexities with speed and ease.
We can also put you in touch with some of our reccommended, tried and tested builders.
ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PLANNING PERMISSION?
Your building work is also likely to need building control approval (building regulations). Find out how we can help you with this here.
There may be other rules governing the land you wish to build on. For example, if you live in a leasehold property, you will need to check the terms of your lease.
WHAT DOES PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT MEAN?
Some minor building works don't need planning permission if their impact on neighbours and their surroundings is likely to be small. These are known as permitted developments. Whether building works are considered permitted developments or need full planning permission depends on the law.
In our experience, many small loft and kitchen extensions are permitted developments and do not need full planning permission, but the local planning authority decides on each case. The council does not consult with your neighbours when considering a permitted development.
Although it is not a legal requirement to get permitted development approval, we can help you submit your house plans to your local planning authority for certainty. If your house plans are for a permitted development, the council will issue you with a ‘certificate of lawful development’. The length of time this takes varies, but it often happens in under eight weeks.
