We have planning!
It took a little while to achieve but we have it!
I’ve been through the planning process many times and thought I knew exactly how to get what we wanted. However every day is a school day, and there were some do’s and don’ts we learned along the way if you're planning a scheme that’s a bit more unusual:
To get our scheme through we agreed to:
After the comments from our neighbours (some of which were quite damning and not representative of the discussions we had), I called the planners and offered to compromise the scheme if they could give us some formal feedback.
We waited a long time for the feedback due to holidays and difficulty seeing our neighbours and this resulted in our planning decision being delayed by about 6 weeks, but ultimately due to our being willing to compromise we achieved planning first time with just a few tweaks to the dwgs....
It took a little while to achieve but we have it!
I’ve been through the planning process many times and thought I knew exactly how to get what we wanted. However every day is a school day, and there were some do’s and don’ts we learned along the way if you're planning a scheme that’s a bit more unusual:
Do give yourselves some room to negotiate
If you're pushing the limits of what you think is acceptable there is no harm in preparing yourself with some pre-assessed compromises.
To get our scheme through we agreed to:
- Change the cladding from the somewhat risqué black zinc to timber cladding
- Remove our projecting balcony
- Reduce our overhangs
Do go and talk to your neighbours
Ours were pretty unhappy and it was uncomfortable, but I think the relationship is still intact and we’ve actually gotten to know one side better. The other side not so much!Do talk to your planner or have your architect talk to your planner
Despite initial reservations, we were able to convince our planner that the modern approach we were taking, at the rear of the property, was a more honest representation of the sustainable timber frame construction method we wanted to use.
Don’t be afraid to chase your planner
I was very keen to keep a good relationship with our planner and resisted chasing her before she went on holiday and as a result, we ended up having two extensions of time on the planning decision. Mistake!
Offer to compromise before you get formal feedback- the jury is out
The last do/ don’t is a bit tricky as I can’t tell if our process was slowed down or if it’s ultimately what got us through so I’ll just tell the story.After the comments from our neighbours (some of which were quite damning and not representative of the discussions we had), I called the planners and offered to compromise the scheme if they could give us some formal feedback.
We waited a long time for the feedback due to holidays and difficulty seeing our neighbours and this resulted in our planning decision being delayed by about 6 weeks, but ultimately due to our being willing to compromise we achieved planning first time with just a few tweaks to the dwgs....
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| Approved planning scheme from the front |
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| Approved planning scheme from the rear |
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