Planning Design Process
Initial Client Meeting
Following a telephone or e-mail introductory meeting, SBA offers a complementary in-person consultation to discuss your project in-depth and guide you through the process we will follow to attain successful planning permission.
Pre-Project Planning Feasibility (Optional)
Most projects require a town planner’s guidance to help realise your desired outcome. We have an in-house town planner with years of experience in local authority planning who can undertake this on your behalf.
During this optional step, we research the planning history of your property and inform you of all previous planning applications, as well as identifying any potential issues or impacts.
Existing Property - Survey and Drawings
Upon engagement, we will quickly arrange and undertake a measured survey of your property.
These measurements will enable us to prepare CAD drawings of your existing property in preparation for starting the design process.
Initial Sketch Designs
Once the existing plans and elevations have been completed, our team will begin developing up to 3-floor plan sketches with a principal elevation.
We will arrange a meeting with you in our office to present our initial proposals and fully involve you in the design process.
CAD Development &
Design Revisions
Following the sketch meeting, your preferred design will be further developed in CAD by our lead designer. We will then present 2D floor plans, including full-colour roof plans and elevations of your property.
We offer up to 2 additional design revisions in CAD, subject to your feedback and comments, ensuring you are happy with the final design.
Preparation of
Planning Drawings
After you approve the final design, we prepare a full set of planning application drawings meeting the local council’s specifications.
This step can include a heritage statement or design & access statement depending upon the complexity of the project or site location. Further surveys such as ecological / topographical or tree surveys can also be requested at this stage.
Planning Application Submission
SBA will complete all the required criteria on your behalf, including filling in the required planning application documents on the planning portal. During submission, we will also complete any of the following documents to ensure compliance with the local authority including;
Community Infrastructure Levy
Climate control questionnaires
Flood risk assessments
Sustainability appriasals
Monitoring Application
and Liaising with Planners
Following validation, we will liaise with the allocated case officer to make sure the application is running smoothly. We proactively enquire whether any alterations are necessary to the proposal and if required we will make these amendments to gain a successful outcome. This additional service is included within our standard fee.
Successful Planning Application
Within 8 weeks (depending on the local authority response time and the application type) we should hopefully have received a decision notice.
We will inform you of the decision and any conditions that will require discharging before progressing to the build phase.
In the unlikely event we are not able to make any alterations during the planning application, we will review the rejected case officer’s report and submit a revised application within our standard fee.
