From policy to permission: What drives planning decisions?

You’ve found your dream home or building plot – there is so much potential and you can already imagine the beautiful kitchen, and long lazy Sunday mornings spent around the kitchen island.

But now you need to convince your local planning officer that your plans will have a positive contribution to both the building and local area, and that’s when it can get a little daunting.

However, if you take the time to understand what the planners are looking for, and the framework within which they need to operate, including national frameworks and localised plans, it can be much easier to navigate the planning process and produce an application that is reviewed favourably.

Read on to find out more.

From the planners perspective

Planning officers often receive a bad rep, but it’s important to remember that their job isn’t to stop development, but rather ensure that any development falls in line with the bigger picture.

It’s also important to understand that they are looking for consistency, compliance and clarity, and evidence that your application aligns with local and national planning policy.

Planning Policy explained

Like all good government representatives, planning officers have to navigate a number of policies when reviewing your application. It can be helpful to understand these policies, and how they will eventually impact what you include in your planning application.

National policy – the big picture

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sits at the very top,, and aims to set the tone for all local decisions. An overarching framework, it sets out national priorities, from sustainability, protecting the environment, housing needs and good quality design.

Local policy – A local interpretation

Each local authority has a Local Planning Authority (LPA) who are responsible for administrating planning and development in a local area, normally a district or borough council.

As part of their work, the LPA must create a Local Plan that sets the rules and objectives for the local area, based on the national policy set out in the NPPF.

Typical subjects covered in the local plan include:

  • The allocation of land for housing.
  • Special designations to provide additional protection such as green belt, conversation areas.
  • Policies for extensions and out buildings.
  • Expectation for design and layout.

Some areas may also have a Neighbourhood Plan, which is a community-led policy, normally involving a parish council or community organisation. This provides an opportunity for local residents to influence factors that help shape and develop their local community, such as improving the local area, prioritising new facilities or protecting green spaces.

Barn Conversion Design

So what do planners want to see in my application?

Whilst you might be thrilled with the design choices that you have made, bear in mind that the planner isn’t assessing your application on design style or taste. Their role is to judge how well your proposal meets the planning objectives and whether it takes the policies that we outlined above into account.

Key things to include:

  • A clear explanation of how your design responds to the relevant policies A well written Design and Access Statement is the best place to demonstrate policy alignment.
  • Sustainability: Modern planning policy places great emphasis on sustainability and environmental responsibility. It is important to show how your project has considered these responsibilities, which could include:
    • Energy-efficient construction or retrofit approaches
    • The use of suitable renewable technologies
    • Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS)
    • Biodiversity enhancement — such as green roofs, bird boxes, or native planting
  • Any relevant surveys that your application requires. Depending on the location and nature of your project, this could include ecological surveys, such as a Bat Survey, a Heritage Statement, a Flood Risk Assessment etc.
  • Clear, concise and accurate paperwork – Planners have a large number of applications to deal with at any one time, so it is incredibly important to ensure the drawings, documents and forms that make up your application are clear, concise and accurate. Your drawings should be drawn to scale and clearly annotated, and consistent with all plans and elevations that are included within your application.
  • Key design principles for the local area have been considered. Planners are looking for developments that contribute to the look and feel of the local community and not feel out of place. Will it look overbearing next to neighbouring properties? Have you chosen materials that are sympathetic to the local area? Ultimately, any development needs to feel part of the local landscape.

How can an architect add value?

Here at Taylor and Co Architects, it is our job to turn your ideas into proposals that satisfy creative ambition and planning policy. If we anticipate that your project will need to gain planning permission, we will design with policy in mind from the outset, interpreting the layers of policy that apply to your application to ensure your proposed designs align with what the local planning office is expecting to see.

We can also help to advise what kind of reports you need to include, such as bat surveys or flood risk assessments, and coordinate these on your behalf.

A reputable architect firm will also ensure you receive the high quality drawings that form such an important part of your planning application. This is one of the best ways to help planners understand what is being proposed.

Conclusion

As we’ve hopefully demonstrated throughout this article, the planning permission process is there to ensure that design is thoughtful, considered, and contributes to the wider context of the local and national landscape.

If you’re planning a project, get in touch to see how we can help you to achieve your creative ambitions and navigate the planning permission process.