PlanScope Blog – Page 232
Practical guides to UK planning applications: which reports your council expects, permitted development, constraints, costs and how to prepare each document.
Articles – page 232
9193 articlesNon-mains drainage and the general binding rules
Private drainage is regulated twice, by the Environment Agency and by the council. What the binding rules cover, when a permit is needed, and what to submit.
Changing from storage to Class E: the evidence councils want
A warehouse to gym or trade counter change turns on employment land policy, not on the merits of the occupier. The evidence that answers each limb of the test.
Flood zone restrictions on Class Q and Class MA
Flooding risk is a listed prior approval matter for both classes, and a council can refuse on it alone. What evidence to submit and which sites cannot convert.
School drop-off and the conditions councils impose
Drop-off is the impact neighbours feel every weekday and the one conditions handle worst. What can be secured, what cannot, and where to direct an objection.
Sub-consultants and who carries the liability
One contract, four sets of obligations. How sub-consulting is structured, who you can actually claim against, and the appointment terms that decide it.
Highway safety refusals and the evidence that answers them
National policy sets two separate highway tests and councils often blur them. How to identify which applies, and the survey evidence that answers each one.
The Infrastructure Levy powers in the 2023 Act explained
The 2023 Act creates a value-based levy through regulations that carry almost all the detail. What the framework enables, what changes for appraisals, and what to check.
Bat roost potential recorded during a tree survey
A note about roost features on a tree survey can move a programme by a season. What the categories mean, when emergence surveys can run, and how licensing works.
Historic shopfronts, signage and advertisement consent
Three regimes can apply to one shopfront job. How planning permission, listed building consent and advertisement consent fit together, and what each application needs.
Reptile surveys: refugia, visits and the temperature window
Reptile surveys depend on refugia, repeated visits and weather you cannot book. What makes a survey defensible, and what the results mean for the programme.
The 45 degree rule for rear extensions and where it comes from
The 45 degree line is a screening test in council design guides, not a national standard. How it is drawn, when it misleads, and the evidence that answers a failure.
Sites just outside a conservation area boundary
Section 72 stops at the boundary but heritage policy does not. How setting is assessed from outside, which permitted development rights you keep, and what to submit.
Foul drainage capacity and pre-development enquiries
Capacity answers come from the water company, not the council, and they take weeks. What to ask for, how to read sewer records, and what to put in the application.
General industrial or storage: the B2 and B8 line
Packing, assembly and finishing on a distribution site can tip the use into Class B2. How the boundary is judged, what evidence each class attracts, and the permitted changes.
Article 4 directions: compensation and notice periods
Compensation under section 108 of the 1990 Act shapes how councils make article 4 directions. Here are the notice periods, the procedure and the checks before you rely on a right.
Coach and minibus provision at schools and hotels
Coach movements are rarely in a local parking standard, so layouts reach consultation with no space for them. How to design the apron, the layover and the drop-off properly.
Structural engineers and when a planning case needs one
A structural appraisal earns its fee when the case turns on whether a building can be kept. Here is what it must contain, who should write it, and when you do not need one.
Answering a design refusal on appeal
Design reasons for refusal offer nothing to disprove, so the appeal turns on giving the inspector a better reading of local context. Here is the evidence that does that.
The supply chapter of an Employment Land Assessment
The supply chapter decides whether a designated employment site can be released. Here is what it must establish, how marketing evidence is judged, and how councils test the conclusion.
Development near a level crossing and Network Rail
A scheme that adds users to a level crossing will attract an objection unless the risk case is made. Here is the evidence expected, the mitigation options and the timescales.
Verifying a claimed accreditation or registration
Most professional registers relevant to planning are free and public. Here is what each one certifies, how membership grades differ, and what to do when a claim does not check out.
Written representations appeals and what the statement covers
Under written representations the statement is the whole case. Here is the structure that works, how to answer each refusal reason and what evidence can be introduced.
Prematurity: what it means in planning
Prematurity argues that permission would prejudice a plan nearly finished. National guidance sets two conditions, and inspectors accept the argument on its own very rarely.
Trial trench evaluation: sampling levels and layout
Trial trenching tests what the desk-based assessment predicted. Here is how sampling levels are justified, how layouts are designed and what each result means for the scheme.
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