with the local authority's planning
department – either yourself or by proxy –
is a great way to determine what you will,
and won't, be able to do.
Your local planning department is likely to
have some preliminary guidance on their
website, if not a full copy of the 'Local Plan'
that informs planning constraints in the
area.
However, councils also offer more formal
pre-application advice for a fee, although
the cost – and quality – of this can differ
greatly from authority to authority. This
should hopefully give you a better idea of
the key issues that may arise
and take steps to sidestep or
tackle these as necessary.
Refusal and appeals
Having your self-build plans refused by a
local authority can jeopardise the chances
of your project ever coming to fruition
in its current form. Given the increasing
pressure local planners are under, previous
refusals can fuel future ones – making a
proposed site untenable in the eyes of the
local authority.
You can however appeal to the
Department of Communities and Local
Government's Planning Inspectorate if you
think the application has been refused out
of hand.
This guidance can be used to
inform your design and when
you're happy with the plans,
you can formally submit them
for planning approval. This
will typically cost under £200,
but can differ depending on
where your new home is to be
situated.
Finally as someone who sees successful
self-build projects come to fruition
regularly, I hope you are not
deterred from building your
own home. Constructing your
own home is an exciting, and
a highly rewarding, project
and if the above guidelines are
followed should be a relatively
smooth process.
CRL is a leading 10 year
structural defects and latent
defects insurance company
offering cover for new
and ready built residential
properties in the UK and
Ireland. With a vast range of
clients including architects,
builders and developers,
quantity surveyors, insolvency
practitioners, fixed charge
receivers, self-builders and
structural engineers, C-R-L.com
offers bespoke solutions for
all residential, commercial and
mixed use properties with a fast
turnaround and a high level of
customer service.
While central government has
set a target of eight weeks for
planning applications to be
assessed, some councils are
better than others. However,
there are financial incentives
in place to encourage this and
even the worst performers
shouldn't make you wait an
onerous length of time for a
response.
This comes with its own set of
complications and you're likely to have
to wait for at least a year for a response
after lodging your appeal. It is well worth
talking to a professional consultant before
deciding how to handle rejection.
Post-planning
If everything goes smoothly and
you're granted permission without
any constraints – the paperwork,
unfortunately, doesn't end there.
CRL’s ten-year structural
insurance policies are
recognised by all major mortgage lenders
in the UK and Ireland and comply with
the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML)
initiative.
CRL is a leading 10 year structural defects
and latent defects insurance company
offering cover for new and ready
built residential properties in the UK
and oversees.
For more information please:
Visit: www.c-r-l.com
Email: [email protected]
Call: 0800 772 3200 / +44(0) 20 7127 5198
[Page 11] Archetech - Issue 20
However, we'd always advise consulting
with a professional, if possible, before
making any rash decisions regarding your
application.
Unlike planning permission – Building
Regulations are less open to interpretation
and your project will succeed