Planning Guides
Practical guidance on engaging with the planning system effectively.
For Residents
Understand the planning system and make your voice heard
Your Property
Do I Need Planning Permission?
The question everyone Googles. When you need it, when you don't, and the costly mistake of assuming.
Coming soonPermitted Development: What You Can Build Without Permission
Your home comes with automatic building rights. But the limits are stricter than most people think — and some areas have none at all.
Coming soonLiving in a Conservation Area
Special rules apply to your property that your neighbours might not have. What you can and can't do, and why "like-for-like" doesn't mean what you think.
Coming soonTrees, Hedges and Planning
When you need permission to cut down a tree, what a TPO actually means, and the one mistake that leads to prosecution.
Coming soonHaving Your Say
How to Respond to the Local Plan
The consultation that shapes development for the next 20 years. How to write responses that carry weight with the inspector.
Read guideHow to Object to a Planning Application
Your comments carry weight — if you make the right arguments. The objections officers must address, and the ones they're allowed to ignore.
Coming soonSpeaking at Planning Committee
You have minutes to influence the decision. What to say, what not to say, and how to register before the deadline passes.
Coming soonUnderstanding the Planning Decision
Approved with conditions, refused, withdrawn — what each outcome actually means and what happens next.
Coming soonUnderstanding the System
How to Read a Planning Application
Site plans, design statements, officer reports. Where to find the information that actually matters.
Coming soonWhat is a Material Consideration?
The legal test that determines whether your objection counts. Some arguments must be considered. Others can be dismissed entirely.
Coming soonPlanning Appeals: What Happens When Decisions Get Challenged
The applicant can appeal. You can't. But you can still have your say — if you know how the process works.
Coming soonFor Landowners
Navigate the development process and protect your interests
Understanding Your Position
What Your Land Is Really Worth
Agricultural land and development land are valued completely differently. Learn the method developers use to calculate what they'll pay — and why their first offer is almost never their best.
Coming soonWhen the Developer Comes Knocking
They've already done their homework before they contact you. Find out what they know, what questions to ask, and the one thing you should never say in that first conversation.
Coming soonInstructing Your Own Team
The developer's advisors work for them, not you. Know when you need your own planning consultant, land agent, or solicitor — and how to choose ones who'll actually fight your corner.
Coming soonDeals and Agreements
Option Agreements: What You're Actually Signing
Option agreements lock up your land for years. Understand the key terms that determine whether you get a fair deal or spend a decade waiting for a sale that never happens.
Coming soonPromotion Agreements vs Option Agreements
Two very different deals with very different outcomes for landowners. One keeps control with you, one hands it to the developer. Know which is which before you sign anything.
Coming soonOverage and Clawback: Capturing Future Value
What happens if your land gets more valuable after you've sold it? The clause most landowners don't know to ask for — and live to regret.
Coming soonThe Planning Route
Getting Your Site Into the Local Plan
The Call for Sites process is how land becomes allocated for development. What evidence actually strengthens your submission, and why most landowner submissions fail.
Coming soonPre-Application Advice: Worth the Money?
Councils charge for pre-app meetings. Find out what they actually tell you, how to read between the lines of cautious officer responses, and when it's worth paying.
Coming soonAgricultural Permitted Development
Class Q barn conversions promise planning-free development. The reality is more complicated — and there's one survey that catches most applicants out.
Coming soonFor Parish & Town Councils
Represent your community effectively in planning matters
Understanding Your Actual Power
What Weight Your Comments Actually Carry
Parish councils are statutory consultees. But what does that actually mean for your influence? The honest truth about when your comments matter — and when they don't.
Coming soonMaterial Considerations: The Only Arguments That Count
Planning officers must consider some objections. Others they can legally ignore. Stop wasting time on arguments that weaken your case.
Coming soonReading the Officer Report
The committee report tells you everything about how officers reached their recommendation — if you know where to look. Spot weak reasoning before the committee does.
Coming soonFollowing the Money
Challenging Viability Assessments
Developers use viability to reduce affordable housing contributions. The key assumptions you should question, and your right to see the numbers they'd rather keep hidden.
Coming soonS106 Agreements: What You Can Push For
Section 106 negotiations happen before the agreement is signed. Know what's negotiable, what's not, and the window of time when your input actually matters.
Coming soonCIL: What Your Parish Actually Gets
Your parish is entitled to a share of CIL from local development. Find out how much, what you can spend it on, and the deadline that catches councils out.
Coming soonMaking Your Voice Count
Pre-Application Consultation: Beyond the Tick-Box
Developers must consult on major applications. Most treat it as a box-ticking exercise. How to make them actually listen — and get changes before they submit.
Coming soonSpeaking at Planning Committee
You have minutes to make your case. The rules on what you can say, who speaks when, and how to coordinate with others so you don't waste precious time.
Coming soonWhen Developers Break Promises
Conditions get attached to planning permissions for a reason. What to do when they're ignored, what enforcement officers can (and won't) do, and how to escalate.
Coming soonWorking With Your District Councillor
Call-in requests, committee referrals, asking the right questions. How to build a relationship with your ward member that actually gets results.
Coming soonNeed help with the Local Plan?
The consultation is open now. Our guide shows you how to write responses that carry weight.
How to Respond