Planning applications and planning permission in Derbyshire

Most people come to us at the same point. They know roughly what they want to build. What they don't know is whether the council will let them, how long it will take, and what happens if the answer is no.

We've been submitting planning applications from Swanwick, near Alfreton, since 2000. Extensions, conversions, new build houses, industrial units, changes of use.

Not always, and this is the first thing we check.

A good number of extensions, loft conversions and outbuildings fall under permitted development. That means you can build without applying, provided the work stays inside a set of limits on size, height, position and materials.

Those limits are tighter than most people expect. And they're removed altogether on some properties. Flats and maisonettes have no permitted development rights at all. Neither do a lot of properties in conservation areas, and listed buildings are a different matter again. Some estates have an Article 4 Direction on them, which strips out permitted development rights that would normally apply.

Working out which side of that line you're on is the most valuable conversation we have with anybody. If you don't need permission, we'll tell you, and you've saved yourself an application.

If you do need it, at least you know before you've spent money on the wrong drawings.

Depends on the project.

Householder applications cover extensions, conversions, garages, outbuildings and alterations to your own home. This is the most common one by a long way.

Full planning applications are for new build houses, changes of use, and anything beyond the householder scope.

Outline applications let you establish that a site can be developed in principle before you commit to a full design. Useful if you've bought a plot and want to know where you stand before spending on detail.

Listed building consent is separate from planning permission and you may need both. The design has to answer the constraints from the first sketch rather than being adjusted afterwards.

Reserved matters, variations and discharge of conditions are the follow-on applications most people have never heard of until a decision notice lands with conditions attached to it.

Prior approval applies to certain larger extensions and some changes of use. It's a lighter process than full permission but it still has to be done properly.

Certificate of Lawful Development. Where work falls under permitted development and you want it confirmed in writing, the council can issue a certificate confirming the work is lawful. It isn't compulsory, but it's proof for a future buyer's solicitor that the work never needed permission, and it's much easier to get before you build than afterwards.

We'll tell you which one you need and we'll handle it.

The key to a successful project is to have an accurate set of existing drawings from the measured survey. We accurately measure the floor layouts, elevations, site features including drainage, boundaries and neighbouring window positions.

We prepare the existing and proposed drawings, the site plan and the location plan. Where the council wants a Design and Access Statement, we write it.

We submit through the planning portal with whatever supporting documents that particular authority asks for.

Then we deal with the council. If the case officer comes back wanting more information, or wants an amendment, that comes to us and we sort it. You don't have to learn the planning system to get an extension.

For most householder applications the council has a target of eight weeks from validation. Larger schemes are usually thirteen weeks.

The important word there is validation. The clock doesn't start when you submit, it starts when the council accepts the application as complete. An application that gets returned as invalid because a document is missing has just cost you weeks before anything was even looked at. That's a large part of what you're paying us to avoid.

Once permission is granted it usually lasts three years. You need to have started the development within that time, not finished it.

It happens, and often it isn't the end of the project.

A refusal comes with reasons, and the reasons tell you what needs to change. Often a revised application answering those specific points is the quickest route back. Sometimes an appeal is the right call instead.

We've taken on schemes that had already been refused under somebody else and got permission on resubmission. So if you've had a refusal, don't be embarrassed about ringing us. Bring the decision notice with you.

Amber Valley Borough Council, Derby City Council, Nottingham City Council, Mansfield District Council, Ashfield District Council, Chesterfield Borough Council and North East Derbyshire District Council are the ones we deal with most.

The planning rules themselves are national, so what's permitted in Belper is permitted in Mansfield. What varies is the local plan and what a particular authority wants to see submitted with an application. Knowing that in advance keeps things moving.

Planning permission means you're allowed to build it. It doesn't mean you can build it yet.

You'll need building regulation drawings as well, and those are a different set of drawings answering a different set of rules. Structure, insulation, fire safety, drainage, ventilation. Your builder can't work from planning drawings alone.

If the work is near a boundary you share with a neighbour, you may also need to go through the Party Wall Act process.

The first consultation is free and we come to you. We'll tell you whether you need permission, what's likely to be approved, and what the timescales look like. You get a no obligation price within 24 hours of that visit. Have a look at some of the projects we've taken through planning if you want to see the sort of work we do.

For more information please call us on 07773 899 597 or contact us through this website.