PlanScope Blog – Page 212
Practical guides to UK planning applications: which reports your council expects, permitted development, constraints, costs and how to prepare each document.
Articles – page 212
9229 articlesA barn conversion where the structural evidence failed
Class Q permits conversion, not rebuilding. An illustrative prior approval refused because the drawings showed new foundations and a structural inner leaf.
The cost of a pre-commencement condition you cannot discharge
The fee is the smallest part. Finance on a stalled site, a lost survey season and a permission that never lawfully began are what a pre-commencement condition really costs.
Extending a special educational needs school
Specialist school expansions turn on playing field loss and drop-off capacity, not on general education policy. Mainstream school trip rates give the wrong answer.
Conservation area appraisals and the weight they carry
An appraisal tells the decision maker what the character of a conservation area is. Read it as a design brief rather than a list of prohibitions, and quote it back.
Briefing an ecologist before the survey season
Most ecology survey windows are short and several close by the end of June. Commission the appraisal between October and February and the whole season is yours.
Permitted development and building regulations compared
An extension can be permitted development and still unlawful for want of building control. What each regime tests, which Approved Documents bite, and the order to do things in.
A rear extension refused on daylight, then approved
Refused on loss of light, approved four months later. The illustrative case turned on 800 mm of depth, a lowered eaves and a 700 mm set-in from the boundary.
Budgeting a viability assessment and its review mechanism
The appraisal is the smallest line. Benchmark land value evidence, the authority's independent review and months of negotiation are where a viability case really costs.
An off-road motorsport track on private land
Motor sport gets 14 of the 28 permitted temporary use days, and none of them cover track construction. What a full application needs and how the conditions are drafted.
Signing off an AI drafted report as the named author
Sign a machine drafted report and you are its author for every professional purpose. Here is the review method, the scope statement and the grounds for declining.
Objecting to a licensing application alongside planning
A representation under the Licensing Act 2003 has to engage one of four objectives. A planning objection has to engage a material consideration. Here is how to run both.
Nutrient neutrality: what evidence a catchment scheme needs
Nutrient neutrality is a Habitats Regulations problem, not a drainage one. What goes into a nutrient budget, how mitigation is secured, and what to check before buying credits.
Veterinary, medical and health uses in a residential street
Medical and health services sit in Class E(e), so movements inside Class E need no permission. Veterinary use is murkier, and overnight animals change everything.
Article 3(5), limitations and conditions in the GPDO
Breaching a condition of a permitted development class does not leave you with a condition breach. It leaves you with unauthorised development. Here is why, and what article 3(5) adds.
Converting a village pub to two dwellings: the full pack
Pub conversions turn on marketing evidence and community facility policy, not on design. An illustrative walkthrough of a village pub becoming two houses, document by document.
Budgeting a party wall award alongside an extension
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is a civil regime your council will never mention. Here is what it covers, who pays the surveyors and how the notice periods shape a build programme.
A single wind turbine on a farm holding
A single turbine on a farm is a full planning application decided on noise, shadow flicker, aviation safeguarding and landscape. Here is what each of those needs and in what order.
Documents for a scheme in a Source Protection Zone
A groundwater Source Protection Zone restricts infiltration drainage and penetrative foundations. Here is the document set that answers the Environment Agency before it objects.
Chargeable development: what CIL is calculated on
The Community Infrastructure Levy is calculated on new gross internal area, less the floorspace of buildings that pass the in-use test. Here is how the measurement, the deductions and the liability notice actually work.
Section outline: health impact assessment for 200 units
A working section outline for a health impact assessment on a major residential scheme, written so a case officer can lift the findings straight into a committee report.
Documents for a swimming pool building in a rear garden
An enclosed pool building is an outbuilding under Class E, and most refusals turn on height, curtilage coverage or plant noise. Here is what to check and what to submit.
Saved policy: why old local plan policies still apply
A saved policy carries full statutory force until it is replaced. What varies is weight, not status. Here is how to check what is saved and how to argue that a policy is out of date.
Rights of light and where they sit outside planning
A right to light is a private property right, not a planning matter. Here is how one is acquired, how it differs from daylight assessment, and what planning permission does not authorise.
Ministry of Defence safeguarding zones in planning
Defence safeguarding zones trigger consultation with the Ministry of Defence on height, lighting, bird attraction and occupancy. Here is how each zone works and what evidence answers it.
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