PlanScope Blog – Page 273
Practical guides to UK planning applications: which reports your council expects, permitted development, constraints, costs and how to prepare each document.
Articles – page 273
9118 articlesChallenging a CIL bill: reviews, appeals and surcharges
The right to review and appeal a levy calculation is short and can be lost by starting work. Here is the sequence, the appeal bodies, and the evidence that settles a floorspace dispute.
Sun on ground: the two hour test for amenity areas
At least half an amenity area should receive two hours of direct sun on 21 March. Where an existing space falls below 0.8 of its former sunlit area, the loss counts as noticeable.
Energy assessor accreditation for planning stage work
Nothing in planning requires an accredited energy assessor, but building control does. The gap between those positions is where schemes lose time and carbon percentages stop being achievable.
Gym in an industrial unit: the issues that decide it
Two things sink gym applications on industrial estates: employment land policy and the impact noise of dropped weights through a shared slab. Both are answerable before you sign a lease.
The 1,000 square metre floorspace trigger explained
Non-residential schemes become major development at 1,000 square metres of new floorspace or a one hectare site. The measurement convention you choose can decide which side of the line you are on.
Farm diversification into events and wedding venues
An events business on a farm is sui generis development judged on noise, evening traffic and the capacity of the lane. The 28 day rule is narrower than most operators assume.
What a design and access statement costs to produce
The cost of a design and access statement is a question of hours: heritage constraints, how much design rationale already exists in writing, and how many client rounds the document absorbs.
Re-consultation after amended plans during determination
Amending a scheme after submission is a matter of discretion, not right. The test is whether the development is in substance what was applied for and whether anyone is prejudiced by the change.
Fire statements: which planning applications need one
A fire statement is required where a scheme involves a relevant building: two or more dwellings or educational accommodation, at 18 metres or seven storeys. Miss it and the application is invalid.
Objecting to a phone mast under prior approval
Part 16 prior approval limits the council to siting and appearance. Health, need and property values carry no weight, so an objection has to be built on the two grounds that do.
What gateway two requires before construction starts
For a higher-risk building the Building Safety Regulator is the building control authority, and work cannot start until it has approved the design. That moves the design freeze months earlier.
No sky line: daylight distribution inside a room
Daylight distribution measures how much of a room's working plane can still see sky after development. Room depth and window head height decide the answer, not the size of your building alone.
Checking an archaeological contractor before you appoint
The county archaeologist approves the written scheme of investigation, so who you appoint affects how fast that approval comes. Here is what to check before instructing anyone.
Charitable relief from the Community Infrastructure Levy
Mandatory charitable relief applies everywhere the tests are met. Discretionary relief exists only where the charging authority offers it. Both are lost if work starts before the claim is granted.
Dog day care and kennels: noise, use class and licensing
Day care and boarding kennels sit outside every use class, so there is no permitted change to fall back on. Barking noise decides most applications, and the animal activity licence is a separate consent.
What a single plot self-build needs that five plots do not
A single self-build plot and a five plot scheme face the same eight week timetable but very different evidence. Here is what actually changes, and the levy exemption steps that go wrong most often.
Anaerobic digestion plants on farms: the planning case
A farm anaerobic digestion plant is sui generis development, not agricultural permitted development. Odour, digestate storage, harvest traffic and engine noise are what the application turns on.
What a householder planning application really costs
The council fee is the smallest line in a householder budget. Here is the rest of the stack, from measured survey to Building Regulations, and the two fee rules worth knowing before you pay.
Hazardous substances consent: applying, varying and keeping it
Hazardous substances consent is a separate permission triggered by the quantity of a listed substance on site. Here is how the application works, and the change-of-control rule that quietly revokes consents.
Costs awards at appeal: when they are actually made
An award of costs at appeal needs two things: unreasonable behaviour and expense it caused. Here is what inspectors treat as unreasonable and how to apply.
Cross-boundary sites and applications to two councils
Each authority determines only the part of a cross-boundary site in its area. Here is how to keep two applications, two plans and two committees aligned.
Applications made by the council on its own land
Councils determine their own planning applications under the 1992 General Regulations. Here are the safeguards, the obligation problem and the challenge routes.
Neighbourhood plans: checking whether one covers your site
A made neighbourhood plan is part of the development plan. Here is how to check whether one covers your site and what weight it carries at each stage.
Grey belt: what the term means in practice
Grey belt entered national policy in December 2024. Here is how the definition works, which purposes it tests and what a qualifying site still has to deliver.
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