PLANNING STRATEGY
Choosing the right route through planning
Securing planning permission is not always simply a case of preparing drawings and submitting a full planning application.
Depending on the site, proposal and level of planning risk, there may be several ways to establish whether development is acceptable and progressively increase planning certainty.
These can include initial feasibility work, pre-application advice, Permission in Principle, outline planning permission and full planning applications.
Choosing the right route can help avoid unnecessary expenditure, identify problems earlier and ensure that professional and technical work is proportionate to the development opportunity.
SWAP helps landowners and developers understand the planning position of a site and determine the most appropriate strategy for progressing it.
WHERE SHOULD I START WITH A DEVELOPMENT SITE?
Before deciding which planning application to make, it is usually worth establishing whether there is a credible development opportunity.
An initial assessment might consider:
Planning policy
Site location
Planning history
Nearby planning decisions
Development capacity
Access
Flood risk
Trees and ecology
Heritage
Neighbouring properties
Other technical constraints
This can help answer the fundamental question:
Is there a realistic planning case worth pursuing?
Only then is it sensible to decide how best to establish greater planning certainty.
DO I NEED TO MAKE A FULL PLANNING APPLICATION?
Not always.
A full planning application provides detailed information about a proposed development, but preparing one can require significant design and technical work.
For some straightforward proposals, this may be entirely appropriate.
For more uncertain sites, it can sometimes be sensible to establish the principle of development or investigate a particular planning issue before committing to the cost of a detailed application.
The appropriate route depends on the site, the development proposed and what the landowner is trying to achieve.
WHAT IS PRE-APPLICATION PLANNING ADVICE?
Pre-application advice provides an opportunity to seek the local planning authority's view on a proposed development before submitting a formal planning application.
Depending on the authority and proposal, this may provide feedback on matters such as:
The principle of development
Scale
Layout
Design
Access
Planning policy
Information likely to be required
Pre-application advice does not provide planning permission and does not guarantee the outcome of a subsequent application.
However, it can sometimes help identify important issues before considerably more money is spent developing a proposal.
Whether it represents good value depends on the particular site and planning strategy.
WHAT IS PERMISSION IN PRINCIPLE?
Permission in Principle is a planning route that can, in qualifying circumstances, establish whether certain housing-led development is acceptable in principle before detailed technical matters are considered.
This can potentially be useful where the main question is whether residential development of the land is acceptable, rather than precisely what the final houses should look like.
A separate stage is then required to deal with the relevant technical details before development can proceed.
Permission in Principle is not appropriate for every site or every form of development, but in the right circumstances it can provide a relatively focused way of testing the principle of residential development.
WHAT IS OUTLINE PLANNING PERMISSION?
Outline planning permission can be used for certain developments where the applicant wants to establish whether the principle and broad parameters of development are acceptable before all details are finalised.
Some matters can then be dealt with through subsequent approval.
This can be particularly useful for larger or more complex development opportunities where establishing planning certainty has value before detailed design work is completed.
However, the appropriate level of information still depends on the proposal and the issues affecting the site.
Outline planning permission should therefore form part of a deliberate planning strategy rather than simply being viewed as an easier version of a full application.
WHAT IS A FULL PLANNING APPLICATION?
A full planning application seeks permission for a detailed development proposal.
The submission will typically define matters such as the proposed buildings, layout, access and other relevant aspects of the scheme.
Depending on the development, supporting information may also be required from other specialists.
This could include work relating to:
Highways
Flood risk and drainage
Ecology
Trees
Heritage
Noise
Contamination
Energy and sustainability
Other technical matters
For a well-understood site, proceeding directly to a full application can be appropriate.
For a higher-risk site, there may be value in investigating the fundamental planning issues first.
WHICH PLANNING ROUTE SHOULD I USE?
There is no single route that is best for every development.
The decision should reflect what you are trying to establish.
For example:
I want to know whether my land has development potential
→ Start with planning and development feasibility.
I want the council's initial view before making an application
→ Pre-application advice may be worth considering.
I want to establish the principle of qualifying housing development before detailed design
→ Permission in Principle may be worth considering.
I have a larger development and want to establish broad planning parameters
→ An outline application may be appropriate.
I know what I want to build and the planning position is reasonably understood
→ A full planning application may be the appropriate route.
The actual strategy should always respond to the characteristics of the individual site.
PLANNING STRATEGY GUIDES
What Is Planning Pre-Application Advice?
Understand how council pre-application advice works, what it can tell you and when it may be worth seeking advice before submitting a planning application.
Is Planning Pre-Application Advice Worth It?
Explore the advantages and limitations of pre-application advice and when paying for the council's initial view may — or may not — be worthwhile.
What Is Permission in Principle?
A guide to Permission in Principle, what it establishes and when it may provide a useful route for housing-led development.
Permission in Principle vs Full Planning Permission
Understand the differences between Permission in Principle and a full planning application and which approach might be appropriate for a development site.
Outline vs Full Planning Permission
Understand the difference between outline and full planning permission and how the appropriate route depends on the site and development strategy.
What Do I Need Before Applying for Planning Permission?
A practical guide to the planning, design and technical work worth considering before submitting a planning application.
SHOULD I SPEAK TO THE COUNCIL BEFORE APPLYING FOR PLANNING PERMISSION?
Sometimes, but not automatically.
There can be a tendency to assume that every development should begin with a pre-application enquiry.
That is not necessarily the case.
If the planning position is straightforward and the proposal is well understood, proceeding directly to an application may sometimes be more efficient.
On another site, there may be one fundamental planning issue where obtaining the authority's initial view could be extremely useful.
The important question is:
What information do we need from the planning authority, and will it materially affect what we do next?
That should determine whether pre-application engagement forms part of the strategy.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I SPEND BEFORE APPLYING FOR PLANNING PERMISSION?
As a general principle, expenditure should be proportionate to both the planning risk and potential development opportunity.
It can be tempting to commission numerous consultants at the beginning of a project.
Sometimes that is necessary.
But on an uncertain site, it can be more sensible to establish the fundamental planning position first and then investigate individual technical matters as they become relevant.
A staged process might look like:
Initial planning assessment
↓
Development feasibility
↓
Indicative design
↓
Targeted investigation of key risks
↓
Planning strategy
↓
Detailed design and technical work
↓
Planning application
This helps avoid spending substantial sums answering detailed questions before establishing whether the development principle itself is credible.
WHAT IF MY SITE HAS ALREADY BEEN REFUSED PLANNING PERMISSION?
A previous refusal does not necessarily mean development is impossible.
The important starting point is understanding why the application was refused.
Some refusal reasons may be capable of being addressed through:
A different development strategy
Reduced development
Revised design
Additional technical evidence
Changes to access
A different planning route
Other refusals may identify more fundamental policy problems.
Reviewing the planning history can therefore help determine whether further expenditure is justified and what should be done differently next time.
WHEN SHOULD I APPOINT TECHNICAL CONSULTANTS?
Technical advice should be obtained when it is needed to understand or resolve a material issue.
For example, a site may require specialist input relating to:
Highways
Flooding
Drainage
Ecology
Trees
Heritage
Ground conditions
Noise
But not every site requires every consultant at the outset.
If one issue could fundamentally determine whether development is possible, investigating that issue early may be worthwhile.
Other work can sometimes wait until the planning strategy is better established.
The aim should be to identify the questions that could change the development decision and answer those first.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD PLANNING STRATEGY?
A good planning strategy should provide a clear route from an uncertain development opportunity towards an appropriate level of planning certainty.
It should consider:
What are we trying to achieve?
What are the principal planning risks?
Which issues need resolving first?
What level of design is needed at this stage?
Which consultants are genuinely required?
What is the most appropriate planning route?
How much should be spent before the next decision point?
Planning strategy is therefore as much about the sequence of decisions as the eventual planning application.
SWAP VIEW
We do not think every site should immediately become a full planning application.
The early stages of a project should be about reducing uncertainty efficiently.
That might mean reviewing planning policy and history before drawing anything.
It might mean testing development capacity.
It might mean resolving access or flood risk before progressing the architecture.
And sometimes it means advising a client not to spend further money until a fundamental issue has been resolved.
Our approach combines planning, architecture and development experience so that each stage of work has a clear purpose:
What do we need to establish next, and what is the most proportionate way of establishing it?
HAVE A SITE BUT NOT SURE HOW TO APPROACH PLANNING?
If you own land or property and are unsure whether to pursue pre-application advice, Permission in Principle, outline or full planning permission, SWAP can help establish an appropriate planning strategy.
We can review the site, planning history and principal constraints, consider what development may realistically be achievable and advise on the most proportionate next step.
Send us the site address or location, a plan if you have one, and a brief description of what you're considering.