Our services
Planning consultancy and statements
Expert planning advice for the cases that need more than drawings: HMOs in controlled areas, committee items, development potential appraisals and the written statements councils require.
We write the planning, heritage, sustainability and biodiversity documents that support an application, and we put the case to the council when a scheme goes to committee. At 81 Hamilton Road in Reading we secured approval at Planning Committee for a six bedsit HMO, and at 62 Prospect Street in Caversham an HMO concentration statement supported a successful change of use.
Before you buy a site or commit to a design, a development potential assessment tells you what is realistic, what the risks are and which planning route makes sense.
Typical projects
- HMOs and flat conversions, including Article 4 areas
- Backland and infill plots and replacement dwellings
- Care homes and other commercial buildings
- Sites with heritage, tree or flood risk constraints
What's included
- ✓
Planning statements: Clear statements setting out the proposal against national and local policy.
- ✓
Specialist statements: Energy and sustainability, BNG assessments, trees and landscaping, heritage, noise and HMO concentration.
- ✓
Pre-application advice: We prepare and manage pre-application requests so you know the council's view early.
- ✓
Committee representations: We speak for your scheme when it goes to planning committee.
- ✓
Development potential assessments: Site appraisals for buyers, landlords and developers.
Our work
Planning Consultancy: recent projects
62 Prospect Street
Change of use to 6-bed HMO (C4) & rear extension · Caversham, Reading RG4
81 Hamilton Road
Large HMO (6 bedsits) at committee · Reading RG1
11 & 12 Woodlands Parade
Change of use to restaurant and takeaway · Ashford, Surrey TW15
19 Glebe Road
Extension & subdivision into 2 semi-detached homes · Purley on Thames, Reading RG8
12B Northcourt Avenue
First floor side & rear extensions · Reading RG2
67a Foxhill Road
Office/industrial unit to 3 flats · Reading RG1
Haldane House Nursing Home
Two storey extensions to a care home · 127 Yorktown Road, Sandhurst GU47
Stanlake Farm Cottage
Outbuildings to ancillary guest house · listed, Green Belt · Twyford, Reading RG10
Questions
Frequently asked questions
When do I need a planning consultant rather than just drawings?
When the principle of development is in question, for example a new home in a garden, an HMO, a change of use or a site with heritage or flood constraints. A planning statement that addresses policy up front avoids many refusals.
Do you provide biodiversity net gain assessments?
Yes. We prepare BNG assessments using the small sites metric, as at 19 Glebe Road in Purley on Thames, and advise where a development is exempt.
Where we work
Local planning guides
How the councils we work with most handle applications, with their key policies and our projects there.
Extension and conversion projects by type
Other services
Ready to get started?
Tell us about your project for a free, no obligation quote.