Specialists and surveys

Before submitting a planning application, you will need a measured survey of your existing property to ensure your plans are accurate and drawn to scale. This is known as a “site survey.” Assuming you have clear ideas of how you want your new extension to look and function, the next step is to draw up floorplans and elevations of your home as existing and as proposed.

It’s not generally recommended to try to produce these plans yourself unless you’re a building professional. Hiring an architect or architectural technologist to carry out the survey and design your home extension will boost your chances of planning success. A good local architect will come up with a design that you like, can afford and can be built.

An architect can also advise if any specialist surveys or reports are needed before the application is submitted. For instance, if any protected trees or species, such as bats, are affected by your project which would require an ecological survey. A structural engineer may also be required to check if your existing building is strong enough for the new work or needs strengthening (for example, underpinning of foundations) or if the ground conditions are suitable.

Ideally, these specialist reports should be commissioned at the outset, so the design of your project takes into account any potential issues. These professional reports don’t come cheap. But skimping on hiring consultants could be a false economy because if it turns out there are problems which means the project can’t be built, it could prove more expensive in the long term.

Submission

Planning applications can be submitted in paper or online via the Planning Portal. This website establishes the different types of application and lists the required documents, drawings and fees. A householder application includes extensions and alterations to an existing house.

Once the fee is paid online, the application is forwarded to your local planning authority – which is typically a district council or unitary authority or perhaps a national park. Some councils may request additional information. For instance, Test Valley Borough Council requires a biodiversity checklist with every application.

Typically, you will need to include the following information:

• Completed application form
• Site plans – existing and proposed
• Floorplans and elevations of the house as existing and proposed
• Drainage information
• Design and access statement – not usually required for home extensions but may be useful in some circumstances.

Householder applications are fairly basic and rarely need the amount of detail required for the building of a brand-new property. That said, other specialist consultant reports might be advised, such as:

• Planning & design statement – if your proposal is in any way contentious, this addresses how it complies with national and local policy.
• Tree survey - showing root protection zones for important trees.
• Ecological survey - necessary if the proposals involve any buildings or land or trees that are bat habitats, protected under European and UK law.
• Heritage statement – if your plot is in a conservation area or involves or is close to a listed building.

Registration

After you have submitted your application and paid the fee, it will be checked by staff at your local planning authority to see if all the forms have been correctly completed and drawings supplied. If you’ve ticked all the boxes, a letter is issued which informs you of the statutory target date for deciding your application which in most cases is eight weeks. This letter often includes your planning case officer’s name and contact details.

If the application is not up to scratch, you will be informed. For instance, the site plan may be inaccurate or not have a scale bar or north point to indicate the plot’s orientation. This is not a refusal, but part of the process and the best solution is to remedy any deficiencies as soon as possible, so the application can be registered. Some councils are a lot stricter than others.

Consultation and publicity

Once your application is registered, a 21-day consultation period begins to give people a chance to comment. The local planning authority will send letters to your immediate neighbours and notify internal experts, such as the council heritage officer or ecologist. External bodies will also be asked for their input, including parish councils, town councils, highways authority and environment agency. Planning notices publicising the application are placed outside your home, in local newspapers and online on council websites.

Negotiation

The case officer will then visit the site and assess your application taking into consideration relevant national and local planning policies, consultation responses and public representations. Only issues that are “material considerations” will be taken into account. For instance, scale and design of the building, overshadowing neighbours, surface water treatment and access.

Once the application has been submitted, keep in touch with the planning officer to see how it’s progressing. If the officer has any concerns, it’s best to work with and not against them. They may suggest amendments to deal with potential issues such as overlooking neighbouring properties or impact on the street scene. This may mean changing the position of windows or choice of building materials.

Alternatively, the case officer may ask for additional information on certain issues. For instance, if the site is sloped, more drawings showing sections through the new building may be requested. Some planning officers will allow an extension of time to deal with any concerns but not all.

If your preferred design looks like it is going to be refused, it may be advisable to withdraw the application and resubmit a revised version that deals with any concerns.

If an application cannot be dealt with in the statutory period, the council should write and seek an extension, giving a new determination date and reason for the extra time required.

Decision making

The vast majority (about 90 per cent) of applications are decided by senior planning officers under “delegated powers.” Only the more controversial applications are voted on by elected councillors sitting on the planning committee. For instance, if a case officer recommends approval despite objections from a significant number of neighbours, or a parish or town council. Alternatively, an individual councillor might call in an application which was recommended for refusal on behalf of a local resident.

If it goes to committee, the case officer will make a recommendation in a written report to either approve or refuse your application. Sometimes councillors go against the planning officer’s advice and reject an application recommended for approval. In these circumstances, it can be worth submitting a planning appeal because the council officer clearly thought it was acceptable.

If your application is to be decided by committee, you will be informed of the date and time. It’s a public meeting and you (or your architect or planning consultant) will have a chance to speak.  You may only be given a few minutes which can be frustrating but there is often a long list of applications to be decided, so time is limited. You can also obtain a copy of the committee agenda from the council’s website. Committee reports and agendas are usually published about five working days before the date of the meeting. There is nothing to stop you contacting your local ward councillors or members of the planning committee before the meeting to put your case.

If your application is refused, a discussion with your planning officer may be all that is needed to find a compromise and make a revised application. If you’re still unsuccessful, the next stage is going to appeal.  However, this can be an expensive and drawn-out process. It’s advisable to get advice from a professional planning consultant before going down this route.

For many home improvers, submitting a formal application and gaining planning permission is a relatively straightforward process - although care and attention to detail is needed. Omissions and mistakes can cause frustrating delays and may even lead to refusal.

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