Five ways to get your self-build approved
“Planning permission has been granted.” These are the magic words every self-builder wants to hear.
Once a self-builder has secured a plot it’s full steam ahead to start construction but planning permission can take at least eight weeks from submission to final decision. How do you avoid delays and get your plans through swiftly?
1.Plan, plan, plan!
Thinking ahead is vital. It can take around eight (sometimes more) weeks for the council to sign off on planning permission so presenting all the correct forms, plans and information required is a must.
Your planning submission is made to your local district, borough or city council. The simplest way to submit the application is online, via the government’s Planning Portal.
Councils and the Planning Portal (the online facility for submitting the forms) have detailed advice on how to put together a successful application.
If you think your plans may prove to be contentious, it’s advisable to make a pre-application enquiry with the council. This enables you to get feedback based on sketch proposals before you commit to fully worked-up drawings.
2. Hone your designs
There is no room for error when it comes to submitting planning designs. Every point and scale bar must be correct as it could result in a rejected application.
Working with an expert is probably the best approach if you want a swift and accurate submission. It may seem like an extra cost you don’t need but forking out can save you headache further down the line. An architect can prepare all of your drawings and advise on what is acceptable and likely to gain planning permission. They will also present a clear set of drawings in the appropriate format to the local authority. This will help the council to quickly identify relevant guidance and policy documents, which may affect your design.
The architect can use their planning expertise to write an effective design and access statement, which will be used to convince the local planning authority that your proposal does comply with the relevant policies. An architect can also handle technical issues that might arise during the planning application process. Your planning proposal may throw up extra requirements or surveys and your architect could prevent these issues by contacting the appropriate organisations ahead of time. They can also provide flexible solutions to optimise the way space is used in your self-build, increasing your chances of a successful application.
Trying to decide whether to seek professional help for your build? Here are some of the benefits of working with an architect.
3. Collaborate with your architect and planning officer
They don’t need to become your best friend but establishing your first point of contact and forging a positive relationship with your planning officer can create a smoother process. The planning officer is very important in the final decision making, so get to know them. However, if you employ an architect or planning consultant they will handle the submission and be in contact with them more regularly than you. They have the technical and design practice knowledge to navigate through the pitfalls of planning submissions. They can simplify complex ideas and communicate priorities.
What happens after outline planning permission is granted? Read more about the planning permission process here.
4. Keeping up with the neighbours
Planning applications are analysed to ensure that the proposals do not lead to any loss of privacy, light or outlook for neighbouring properties. Your self-build mustn’t cause any undue noise or disturbance too. All of these are considered as it can affect your neighbours so do take note of this before submitting your design plans. Always speak to your neighbours and keep them inundated with your self-build plans. You need their support and gaining this can lead to a seamless planning application process.
5. Check for flood risk and conservation areas
Always check if your self-build plot is in a flood risk area by looking online at the Environment Agency’s maps. If it is affected, you will need to submit a flood risk assessment with your application. This could cause delays so bear this in mind. Equally, if your land falls within an archaeological notification area, it could affect conservation areas or listed buildings which requires specialist reports to show these have been taken into account. You don’t want to discover this halfway through your application so look into this immediately.
