Planning Applications

Submission, management and co-ordination of planning applications, including negotiating with local planning authorities, responding to objections and dealing with post-decision matters such as discharging planning conditions.

Planning Appeals

Submission of planning appeals, representation at hearings or inquiries and written representations on behalf of third parties.

Enforcement Issues

Preparation, submission and ongoing management of appeals against enforcement notices, advice, preparation and submission of responses to Planning Contravention Notices (PCN) and advice on submission of Lawful Development Certificates (LDC).

Listed Building Consent Applications

Providing advice and guidance on proposed alterations, submission of applications for listed building consent, preparation of Heritage Asset Statements and discussions with Local Authority Conservation Officers.

Advertisement Consent

Providing advice and guidance on when advertisement consent is required, submission of applications and discharge of conditions relating to the display of advertisements.

Development Appraisals

Assessment of potential development opportunities, advice on planning issues and future uses.

Five Year Housing Land Supply Calculations, Assessments and Reports 

We are experienced in undertaking detailed assessments of Councils’ housing land supply. This includes reviewing the housing requirement used as part of the calculation, scrutinising the deliverability of individual sites, and testing the varying methodologies which can be applied to the calculation.

A Council’s ability to demonstrate a five-year supply can be an important determining factor in whether planning permission should be granted. If you are preparing a planning application or planning appeal for residential development, an assessment of the five year supply can provide useful evidence to support your proposal.

Local Plan Representation and Land Promotion

Preparation and submission of representations to Local Plan consultations addressing specific concerns and issues, or making a detailed assessment of the overall plan. Promoting land for allocation, from initial ‘Call for Sites’ exercises through to the adoption of the Local Plan.

Third Party Representation

Submission of objections to planning applications, representations on Local Plan allocations/policies and other planning related matters.

Lawful Development Certificates

A Certificate of Lawful Development is used to formally establish that a development is legal, even if it was previously thought to be otherwise. Such certificates can apply to existing uses or developments of a property, or to proposed uses or developments of a property.

An application for a Certificate of Lawful Development can be used to address ongoing enforcement issues, where there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that there has been no breach of planning control, or that due to a passage of time the breach is now immune from enforcement action. Alternatively, we can use our extensive knowledge of permitted development rights to apply for a Lawful Development Certificate for a proposed use or development.

Heritage Asset Statements

We can prepare a Heritage Asset Statement to accompany most planning applications for development which may have an impact on the historic environment. We frequently prepare heritage asset statements for applications for listed building consent as well as to support development projects that could affect a scheduled ancient monument or conservation area. We also have experience in preparing statements to support applications within World Heritage Sites, such as the Lake District National Park.

We will investigate the context and background, and prepare a comprehensive report to accompany your proposals, outlining any possible negative effects on the heritage asset and how these might be mitigated. Where necessary we will call upon the specialist services of architectural historians or other specialists as required.

Economic Viability Assessments

We can prepare Economic Viability Assessments to support planning applications and Section 106 agreement negotiations. Contributions for affordable housing, education, highways infrastructure and (in some locations) Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payments can affect the viability of development proposals.

Our viability assessments are based on detailed appraisals of development costs, required contributions and robust market analysis. The economic viability of development schemes can be negotiated before or after planning consent has been granted, and we can negotiate with Local Planning Authorities on your behalf.

Community Engagement

For major applications we can create bespoke strategies for community engagement. We will actively engage with key stakeholders, community groups, local residents and key decision makers. The Localism Act, Neighbourhood Planning, and growing public awareness have made early community engagement not just important, but vital. It also makes good sense, as establishing positive relationships can often ease contentious issues, or at least provide an opportunity to find common ground.

In addition to the services listed above, we also provide local authorities with cost-effective support on a short or long-term basis.

This can range from help in dealing with one major application to picking up a number of planning applications per week. Our policy expertise also enables us to support with discrete tasks relating to policy development and delivery.

We understand that meeting targets for the performance of your development management function and keeping planning policy up to date is not always easy. Staff leave, vacancy and staffing levels are such that a couple of major applications or additional pieces of work can create issues.

Our extensive experience of working with planning departments across Cumbria means that, when you ask us to help, we are able to adapt quickly to your way of working and deliver the results you need.