A deep-dive interview with planning permission expert Mark Doodes, who shares his 20+ years of blended public and private consulting experience in permitted development for replacement dwelling projects.
What is this?
A podcast interview featuring expert planning consultant Mark Doodes & hosted by Ben Adam Smith (www.houseplanninghelp.com). This is a masterclass on the planning permission process for building replacement dwellings.
Who is this for?
Anyone planning a UK smallholding development or renovation project needing a good grounding in permitted development.
What you’ll get?
A step-by-step tutorial for how to improve your chances of gaining planning approval for replacement dwellings.
Listen to the podcast
HPH396: Getting planning permission for a replacement dwelling – with Mark Doodes - House Planning Help
Mark Doodes from Mark Doodes Planning explains what we mean by applying for planning permission to demolish and rebuild a house, how it is done, what some of the challenges might be and how to do as much as possible to improve your chances of a successful outcome. Interview with Mark Doodes Mark Doodes is […]
Outline:
- What is the structure of the planning system?
- Legislation
- Regulation
- Local plan
- Neighbourhood plans
- Case law
- Appeal
- Rules of thumb for planning?
- Local & neighbourhood plan ‘allocations’
- Important difference between spatial plan vs plot features
- Ever-changing sea of regulation, outdated plans and appeals
- Unallocated projects
- How are plans prioritised?
- Weighting for impact: assisting council meeting housing targets & social objectives
- Private benefits vs social benefits
- Replacement dwellings
- Constraints
- Out-of-date local policy, national plan primacy
- Strategy: exercise all permitted development rights to haggle
- Filing multiple applications to eventually get to final outcome
- Applications ‘in keeping’ with the area
- Consider the marketable value of the asset after development
- Demolition
- Listed buildings
- Preservation
- Rebuilding following damage
- Listed buildings
- Changing policy
- Length of project
- Constraints
- Wording and interpretation
- Judgment devolves accountability to the planning decision-maker
- Merits of serial applications
- Warning signals
- Applications history
- Lengthy battles
- Applications history
- Warning signals
- Resource realities of planning workloads
- Strategy
- Make best application
- Follow-up application
- Motives
- Local authority isn’t motivated either way: under time pressure & want to make right decision
- How best to manage communications with officers
- Don’t think you can influence the offer
- Simply get your homework done e.g. surveys etc.
- Most robust application from the outset
- Strategy
- Getting practical help
- Zoom call (£200): Q&A session ‘pick a planner’s brains’
- Site assessment (£1,000): 25 pages long, constraints, local plan, neighbourhood plan, emerging topics, advice for timing of application etc.
- Helps sidestep critical issue: very opinionated course of action, critical path for planning success
- Outcome: much higher odds of success
- Timing
- Plan for the worst-case scenario
- Get all work i.e. surveys etc done early
- Outline permission, if robust enough, can succeed without elevations etc..
- Resalable asset: outline planning permission, but beware pitfalls (with following parts insufficient)
- What is the local authority looking for?
- Local plan compliance (but won’t get you favour, it’s just compliance – neutral weighting)
- Expiry of planning permission
- Deadline for completing project
- Local authority powers to force project completion
- Living in a mobile home whilst you develop
- Timeline for replacement dwelling
- Contact consultant pre-contract
- Get team together: arboriculturist
- Bats, Great Crested Newts surveys and seasonality affecting your project timelines
- Average 12-16 weeks (rarely 8 weeks)
- Managing objections: highways, surveys, policy changes
- Don’t press officer for a decision – may not be favourable
- Refusal & appeal: + 6-9 months
- Optioned land? Stuck bargain based on timing…instead, think flexibility caveat (“unless an appeal takes place”)
- Beware: don’t use bridging loan – delays from appeal lead to severe financial penalties
- Reasons for Failure
- Try to gain too much in one single application: why not stage or phase applications (better chances of success and perhaps cost saving overall vs. rushing)
- Banking risk via phased applications
- Be realistic
- Officers are people: faults and prejudices and all
- Do the best you can to make the most robust submission
- Get early planning consultancy
- No guarantees at all – the most experienced planning consultants will agree
Looking for planning permission consultancy for your project?
Contact Mark Doodes to book your planning consultation.
The Smallholdings Team.
