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On Design
Pre-Planning - A necessary part of the process for success
Posted by Pete Tonks
on 2nd March 2009
For those of you at the very start of your projects, a little "word to the wise" for you all....
Having been in this business since 1984, i have seen my fair share of change. This however was never really the case for the planning process but it certainly is now.
Gone are the days of simply filling in one form and submitting a couple of drawings. The process is now complex and potentially daunting but if approached correctly can produce successful results.
Make sure you invest quality time at pre-planning stage and procuce a strong case with supporting visuals to present to the planning department ahead of the formal submission. This will allow you to demonstrate your proposals and gather important directive advice from the planning officer. It is easier to evolve your design at this early stage and the proccess will allow you to forge an important relationship with the planner.
This approach is the only one to follow and will avoid the common scenario of multiple withdrawals and re-submissions which are frustrating and costly.
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Pete Tonks
Pete Tonks has been designing houses for self-builders for almost 25 years through work for major package suppliers and now runs his own practice, at pjtdesign.
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Not sure if I would go along with this advice having done numerous applications as PM for clients.
Pre-planning is a listening process whereby the planners tell you what they are looking for (or not) after which you submit your application with all the gubbins required by central government. If you do not listen then your application will fail.
I am not saying that is how it should be, but where planning permission is the goal, how badly you want it is irrelevant. I have seen too many applications fail because the applicant is completely unrealistic in his/her expectations and talks down to the planners. Ah...I can still see the shutters rolling down over their eyes as I write!
Mark
My local council charges £500 for a pre-application enquiry, or £1000 if you have more than one unit. I found this process useless: it was no different from making a planning application, just slower. OK, the decision we submitted had its problems which they flagged up, but the promised meeting to discuss alternatives never materialised, despite weeks of requesting: all we got was a one and a half page letter listing all the reasons they disliked the design, and we were left almost none the wiser what they would regard favourably. As my archtiect said, "we might as well just keep submitting applications until we get enough clues about what to do", which involves costs, wasted time over consultation and so on, all because the planners are so cautious and provide so little advice over their design requirements.
I can emphasise enough how important pre-planning is...
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