Planning Consultancy

Paid planning advice, desktop reviews and pre-application style guidance for homeowners, landlords, developers and property owners.

Some projects need more than a quick opinion. They need a proper planning review, a desktop survey, a check of the property, planning history, local constraints and the likely route forward.

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Planning Application Services (PAS) provides paid planning consultancy for homeowners, landlords, developers and property owners who need clear advice before committing to drawings, applications, purchases, contractors or construction work.

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This can be useful for simple homeowner projects, but it is especially valuable where the proposal is more complex, uncertain or higher value.

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PAS can provide paid planning consultancy for projects such as:

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• House extensions

• Loft conversions

• Garage conversions

• Garden buildings and outbuildings

• New build houses

• Replacement dwellings

• Property conversions

• Houses to flats

• Commercial to residential conversions

• HMO projects

• Airbnb and short-term letting

• Change of use projects

• Land and plot assessments

• Small development sites

• Demolition and replacement schemes

• Listed buildings and conservation areas

• Retrospective planning issues

• Projects affected by previous refusals or planning conditions

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Paid Desktop Planning Reviews

A desktop planning review allows PAS to look properly at the project before giving advice. This is different from a quick call or general guidance.

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A desktop review may include checking:

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• The property address and site context

• Existing use of the building or land

• Planning history

• Previous approvals or refusals

• Local planning constraints

• Conservation area or Article 4 issues

• Listed building or heritage sensitivity

• Permitted development potential

• Likely application route

• Whether pre-application advice may be useful

• Whether drawings, statements or reports are likely to be needed

• Whether the proposal appears realistic before more money is spent

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The aim is to give you a clearer professional view of what may be possible, what risks need to be considered and what the sensible next step should be.

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Faster Pre-Application Style Advice

Councils can offer formal pre-application advice, but it can often take several weeks and sometimes around two months before you receive a response. For many homeowners and property owners, that delay is frustrating when they are trying to make early decisions.

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PAS can provide our own pre-application style planning advice as part of a paid consultancy review. This is not a formal council response, but it can be a much faster way to understand the likely planning issues before deciding whether to proceed.

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This can help you decide:

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• Whether the idea is worth developing further

• Whether the proposal is likely to need planning permission

• Whether permitted development may be possible

• Whether a lawful development certificate may be the better route

• Whether a full planning application is likely to be needed

• Whether the design should be changed before drawings are prepared

• Whether a formal council pre-application enquiry is worth submitting

• Whether the project has obvious planning risks

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For many projects, this early paid advice can help avoid wasted time, weak applications or paying for drawings before the planning route is properly understood.

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When Paid Planning Consultancy Can Help

Planning consultancy is useful when you need a proper opinion before deciding what to do next.

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This may be before you:

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• Buy a property or plot

• Convert a building

• Split a house into flats

• Create an HMO

• Build a new house

• Replace an existing dwelling

• Extend or alter a property in a sensitive area

• Respond to a council letter

• Decide whether to submit a planning application

• Decide whether to submit a lawful development certificate

• Challenge or review a previous refusal

• Start work that may later create planning problems

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It is also useful where a builder, estate agent, supplier or installer has given informal advice, but you want a proper planning view before committing money.

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What PAS Can Provide

Depending on the project, PAS can provide:

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• Paid planning consultancy

• Desktop planning reviews

• Pre-application style advice

• Planning route assessments

• Permitted development reviews

• Lawful development certificate advice

• Change of use advice

• New build and replacement dwelling advice

• Property conversion advice

• HMO and short-term let planning advice

• Conservation area and Article 4 reviews

• Listed building consent guidance

• Retrospective planning advice

• Review of council letters or enforcement concerns

• Advice on likely drawings and supporting documents

• Next-step recommendations

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Where the project moves forward, PAS can also prepare the planning drawings, application package and submission.

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Planning Consultancy Before Drawings

It is not always sensible to start with drawings. On more complex projects, the better first step may be to understand the planning position before developing the design in detail.

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This is particularly true for:

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• New build houses

• Replacement dwellings

• Plot subdivision

• Backland development

• Property conversions

• Change of use

• HMOs

• Airbnb or serviced accommodation

• Conservation area projects

• Listed buildings

• Projects with previous refusals

• Projects where the council may have strong policy concerns

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A paid consultancy review can help shape the brief before design work starts. That means the drawings can be prepared around a clearer planning strategy rather than guessing the route.

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Planning Consultancy and Application Support

Planning consultancy is often the first stage. Once the planning route is clearer, PAS can help with the next step.

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This may include:

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• Planning drawings

• Existing and proposed plans

• Elevation drawings

• Site and block plans

• Supporting planning notes

• Planning application submission

• Lawful development certificate applications

• Prior approval applications

• Retrospective planning applications

• Listed building consent applications

• Change of use applications

• Non-material amendment applications

• Section 73 applications

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This gives you a joined-up route from early paid advice through to drawings, application preparation and submission.

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Why Paid Planning Advice Helps

Planning mistakes can be expensive. A project may look simple at first, but the planning route can change because of the property type, location, planning history, conservation status, Article 4 controls, highway issues, previous conditions or the way the building will be used.

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Professional paid consultancy can help you avoid:

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• Spending money on the wrong drawings

• Submitting the wrong type of application

• Assuming permitted development applies when it may not

• Waiting months before finding out the idea has a planning problem

• Buying a property without checking the development potential

• Starting work before the correct route is understood

• Responding poorly to council concerns

• Missing conservation, Article 4 or listed building issues

• Losing time because the planning strategy was unclear from the start

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PAS helps you understand the practical planning route before you commit to the next stage.

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Get expert help with planning consultancy

Whether you need paid planning advice, a desktop planning review, pre-application style guidance, property conversion advice, new build planning advice or help deciding the best application route, Planning Application Services (PAS) can help.

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Tell us what you are trying to do, send the property address, photos, sketches, existing drawings, estate agent details, supplier information or council correspondence, and we can quote for the right level of paid consultancy support.

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