PlanScope Blog – Page 323
Practical guides to UK planning applications: which reports your council expects, permitted development, constraints, costs and how to prepare each document.
Articles – page 323
8785 articlesWalkthrough: a self build plot with a protected oak
An illustrative self build where a protected oak decided the footprint, the driveway construction and the foundation design, and the order the work was done in saved the programme.
Appealing against non-determination: gains and losses
Once a non-determination appeal is lodged, the council can no longer grant permission and the case runs against reasons it has not yet written. Here is what that trade actually costs.
Planning fee indexation and how to budget for it
Application fees in England move every April under the indexation introduced with the 2023 uplift. Here is what the mechanism covers, what it misses, and how to budget a self-build across several applications.
Groundwater and hydrogeology in basement design
Groundwater decides whether a basement is buildable, and the monitoring has to start months before the drawings are finished. Here is what the assessment must establish and what councils expect to see.
Obtrusive light onto neighbouring windows
Light intrusion, glare and sky glow are three different effects measured three different ways. Knowing which environmental zone your home sits in decides every number in the assessment.
The optional water efficiency standard and planning conditions
Part G sets 125 litres per person per day as standard and 110 as an optional requirement that only applies when a planning condition brings it into effect. Here is how that mechanism works in practice.
Walkthrough: an hours condition varied under section 73
An illustrative walkthrough of varying an opening hours condition, from choosing between section 73, section 96A and a fresh application through to the new decision notice and the licensing trap.
Written reps, hearing or inquiry: choosing the procedure
Most appeals belong on written representations. Knowing when a case needs real testing under cross-examination, and when a hearing is the better middle route, is where the judgement lies.
Two storey rear extensions: the 3 metre and 7 metre limits
Two storey rear extensions are treated far more tightly than single storey ones under Class A. The 7 metre boundary rule defeats most suburban gardens, and there is no prior approval route around it.
Active Travel England as a statutory consultee
Active Travel England must be consulted on the largest applications in England. Its interest is whether people will actually walk, wheel and cycle, and a late objection is expensive to answer.
Basement policies: single storey limits and garden extent
Where a council has a basement policy, the numbers in it set the design envelope before any engineering evidence is prepared. Here is what those limits usually say and how they are measured.
Roof terraces and the conditions councils impose
Class A excludes any veranda, balcony or raised platform, so every roof terrace needs permission. The conditions attached to it decide what the finished space can actually be used for.
Farm scale wind turbines and the planning route
There is no permitted development right for a farm turbine in England, and a hub height above 15 metres makes it Schedule 2 development. Here is the evidence base a council will expect.
Written representations appeals: the full timetable
A written representations appeal is measured from the start date the Planning Inspectorate sets. Here is the order of play, what each document is for, and where appellants most often lose ground.
Noise insulation and glazing specifications in conditions
An acoustic condition sets an internal level, not a product. Working back to glazing, frames and ventilators is where schemes fail, and the weakest element is rarely the glass.
Extending a shop under permitted development: Part 7 limits
The shops class in Part 7 of the GPDO 2015 allows a small rear extension without permission, but the boundary rule defeats most town centre units. Here is how the limits are measured and where the right falls away.
Walkthrough: discharging pre-commencement conditions
An illustrative walkthrough of the step between holding a permission and lawfully starting work, covering condition triggers, submission order, fees, deemed discharge and the condition that had to be varied.
Extending a flat: why householder rights do not apply
Schedule 2 Part 1 of the GPDO 2015 grants rights to a dwellinghouse, and that definition excludes flats. Here is what a flat owner has to submit instead, and which consents run alongside the planning application.
Sprinklers and the planning consequences of the choice
Sprinklers are treated as a Building Regulations question and settled at planning stage. Tank space, water supply and the trades the decision buys.
Overshadowing of a neighbour's solar panels
Loss of PV output can be a material consideration but usually carries limited weight. What the modelling shows, and how to settle it before objections land.
Rooftop solar on commercial buildings under Class J
Roof arrays on commercial buildings are usually permitted development, with a prior approval step. Where flat roof tilts, listings and storage change the route.
Low frequency noise complaints and why they are hard
A plant item with a strong 50 Hz tone can sit inside a dBA limit and still make a bedroom unusable. What to measure, and what actually reduces it.
A bungalow replaced with a two storey house
Replacement dwellings are judged against different policy from extensions. An illustrative walkthrough of demolishing a bungalow and building a house on the plot.
Dropped kerbs and vehicle crossovers: two consents
Two separate consents, two separate decisions. When planning permission is required, what the dimensional tests are, and the sequence that wastes least money.
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