Planning Objections
All planning applications go through a consultation process during which interested parties have an opportunity to comment on the proposed development. Receiving notification that an adjoining landowner has plans to develop can be an anxious time and understandably you will want to ensure you are not adversely affected.
If you wish to object to an application, our experienced team can evaluate the planning application and will consider whether or not there are valid grounds on which to object.
Should we agree that there are valid grounds for objection, we can submit a statement of objection on your behalf. This may focus on the specific impacts on your (or anyone else’s amenity) and highlight where the scheme fails to comply with planning policies or requirements. It may also highlight any factual errors contained within a planning application or where relevant supporting information is lacking and would impede the council’s ability to make a fully informed decision about the impacts of a scheme.
We have significant experience in lodging objections on applications of all types and scales including relating to proposals which may potentially have a harmful impact on sensitive and protected sites such as Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings, and areas of landscape importance such as National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
We have a good success rate – whether the result is a refusal of permission by the council, changes being made to a scheme to overcome our objections and becoming acceptable to our clients or planning conditions being imposed to shape or restrict the development.
Planning Appeals
If you have had a planning application refused or conditions imposed on a permission you’re not happy with there is a right to appeal to The Planning Inspectorate.
We have extensive experience of dealing with all types of planning appeals from written representations, informal hearings through to public inquiries.
As a first step, we can review your case, advise you on the chances of success at appeal and the most appropriate route to take in the appeal process. This will often depend on the complexity of the case and the arguments that need to be presented to an inspector. We will undertake detailed research in the preparation of the grounds of appeal and clearly present evidence to support your appeal, including appearing at hearings and acting as expert witnesses at inquiries.
We can also advise and represent individuals or action groups who wish to object to an appeal and appear on their behalf.
Planning Enforcement
If you have been contacted by your local authority’s enforcement team suggesting that you have undertaken works that constitute a breach of planning control, there are usually a number of options that can be taken to resolve the situation. We have extensive experience in dealing with enforcement matters of all kinds and will be able to advise you on the best option for you which often will include communicating early with the council to open up discussions and represent your best interests with the ultimate aim of ensuring that no formal enforcement action is taken or that the steps required by the council – such as the submission of a retrospective planning application – are fair and proportionate to the circumstances.
If you have already been issued with a formal enforcement notice, we can still help. There are rights of appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in certain cases. We can advise you on the best route to take and represent you at all stages of the appeal.
The important thing to remember is if you do receive a notice, to act quickly as you only get a narrow window to lodge an appeal against it. We can work swiftly to make sure you don’t miss the opportunity.
We also act for clients who are concerned about unauthorised developments in their local area which are causing harm. We can review the relevant circumstances of such cases, advise on whether breaches have occurred and lodge complaints to councils asking them to take appropriate enforcement action.
Our experience means that we know how to formulate these complaints in a way that ensures councils take them seriously and how best to follow them up with the enforcement team to see harmful breaches resolved.
Need to tackle a planning appeal, enforcement action or make an objection?
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Permission Granted for HUF house and lake
We are delighted to have secured permission for a substantial HUF house and lake in a rural location near Cranbrook. The house, located in the AONB, incorporates sustainable construction with plenty of biodiversity enhancement. CGI image courtesy of Peter Huf Architecture #dreamhouse #sustainablearchitecture #ruralproperty #rtpi #rics
