C2C Planning Consultants offer town planning advice from concept to construction. We assess sites for planning potential, submit planning applications, object to inappropriate applications, speak at committee, appeal against refusals etc. We can be involved as little or as much as you want.

Trade Bodies / Associations

Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute Member of the Town and Country Planning Association Member of the Federation of Small Businesses Women in Property

Why would you need a planning consultant?

Planning consultants can range from being actively involved with all stages of the planning system, or merely be an outside expert who helps guide decisions.

A planning consultant can be as involved as you need them to be, but typically the main areas which we would look after are:

Research and assess local and national planning policy to assess the planning potential of sites. The results of this assessment will greatly sway whether or not the project will progress towards the submission of a planning application.
Write a supporting planning statement. Supporting planning statements are increasingly required by Local Planning Authorities in the validation of planning applications.

Act as agent to the applicant during a planning application by receiving all correspondence from the Local Planning Authority and interested parties. We can advise the applicant on any steps necessary to address any concerns or problems during the application process.

Act on behalf of someone affected by inappropriate development and make comments on a planning application on behalf of that person or group. This may involve addressing the planning committee before the determination of a planning application or at appeal if the applicant is seeking to overturn the Local Planning Authority's decision.

Assessing reasons for refusal of an application and can advise applicants whether an appeal against the refusal is appropriate and which type of appeal to make. We can represent the appellants from submitting the appeal paperwork to the discussion of the issues with an Inspector, through to advising appellants on the Inspector's decision.

If the project is large and long term, then there will often be the need to make representations to the Local or Neighbourhood Plan.

We can assist with the discharge of planning conditions before development commences.

Do you want to extend your property?

The permitted development rules have changed recently, allowing more freedom for householders.

However, the complexity of the wording of the rules has meant that there are inconsistencies in the way Local Planning Authorities interpret them. Therefore, it is almost essential to apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness before commencing any building work.

c2c Planning Consultants can assist you with your Certificate of Lawfulness application to ensure your proposed development complies with the rules.

Do you have a site or a building that isn't fulfilling its planning potential?

c2c Planning Consultants can help you by;

Carrying our an initial planning assessment. An initial planning assessment examines the following broad planning issues:
Relationship to existing settlement;
Proximity to sites of national importance for biodiversity
Compatibility with neighbouring uses;
Flood risk designation;
Relevant planning history and policy
The initial planning assessment determines whether a site is considered suitable in planning terms for the proposed use identified by the landowner, or whether an alternative use would be more appropriate.

Where sites satisfied these criteria, they could be assessed as part of the detailed assessment undertaken by a wide range of experts including, ecologists, landscape architects, arboriculturists, and engineers. c2c work with a number of experts in other disciplines (or can work with your existing project team) to create such an assessment.

If you need an initial assessment of a site or a building, please contact us through our contacts page.

Do you want to apply for a Certificate of Lawful Development?

Have you rung the Planning Department to ask whether your proposed conservatory requires planning permission to be told that no firm opinions are given informally any more? Indeed, a planning officer's opinion isn't worth the piece of paper it is written on!

This is where the Certificate of Lawful Development comes into play.Certificates of Lawful Use or Development are certificates issued by the Council, which establish that the use or development of land is lawful in two circumstances:

(a) Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development – where you wish to confirm that any existing use, or operation, or activity in breach of a condition or limitation on a planning permission that has already taken place is lawful on the date specified in the application. It is defined as being lawful if enforcement action cannot be taken against it. This may be because it had, or did not need planning permission, or it may be the case that the use or operation took place so long ago that the time for enforcement action has expired;

(b) Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Use or Development – where you wish to confirm that what you are proposing would be lawful i.e. it would not require express planning permission. For example you may need to establish that what you have proposed does not constitute development, is ‘permitted development', or already has planning permission.

There are benefits in gaining a Certificate of Lawful Use or Development. It is a determination that has legal status providing certainty to prospective developers and purchasers of land and buildings. Certificates of Lawful Use or Development will be particularly beneficial to those participating in the housing market. Solicitors representing purchasers of, for example, extended dwellings, will usually require documentary evidence that extensions such as conservatories are lawful. This evidence may assist with the sale of property. Certificates of Lawful Use or Development also provide the necessary evidence that any works being undertaken are lawful if, for example, a neighbour were to make an enquiry or complaint about the work.

c2c Planning Consultants Ltd can help with the submission of such applications and deal with any appeal arising from the refusal of such a Certificate.

Are you applying for planning permission?

c2c Planning Consultant can help you by:

Providing pre-planning advice
Advice on the type of planning application to submit
Arranging pre-application meetings with the Local Planning Authority and other interested parties
Filling out the application forms and acting as your agent in all correspondence with the Local Planning Authority
Writing the supporting Planning Statement for submission with a planning application
Writing the statutory Design and Access statement (if not compiled by an architect)
Providing a Heritage Asset Assessment (if necessary)
Represent your interests at any planning committee
Planning advice for all stages of the planning process.

Do you want to comment on a planning application or appeal?

You may have a social, political, environmental or purely personal concern about a particular development proposal, but to be effective any objection or supporting statements must focus upon the ‘planning merits' of the case. These would include the relevant planning policies applicable to the property and area concerned, as well as consideration of such matters as the impact of the scheme upon the local environment, highways issues, nature conservation, flood risk and many more detailed issues.

c2c Planning Consultants can assist you in the preparation and/or submission of an objection or comment on a planning application or appeal.

Do you want to appeal a decision made by a Planning Authority?

If you (the applicant) have been refused planning permission by the local planning authority or you consider that the conditions placed on the permission are unacceptable, you have the right to appeal to the Secretary of State against that decision. Any appeal must be made within six months of the local planning authority's decision (or earlier if it is a householder application). In the case of failure to determine an application the appeal must be lodged within 6 months of the expiry date of the determination period (for most applications this is 8 weeks). The appeal involves a reconsideration of the application by an independent Planning Inspector and can take the form of written representations, an informal hearing or a public inquiry.

Using Julie's previous experience as a Planning Inspector, c2c Planning Consultants can assist by:

Advising on the reasons for refusal
Advising on the type of appeal to make
Fill out the appeal forms, formulate the grounds of appeal and act as agent on your behalf.
Write appeal statement
Respond to the Local Planning Authority's statement or other third parties
Attend any hearing or Inspector's site visit on your behalf
Help you assess the Inspector's decision.

Trading Since

2008