RCA Blog

Let’s begin by assuming that you have identified one or a number of potential development sites, and that you’ve already undertaken due diligence research.

Within this you will have probably addressed issues such as access, ground conditions, green infrastructure and some other key considerations.

An independent planning and development (P&D) consultant can be very helpful at this stage in terms of shaping and improving your assessment - and therefore the planning proposal that you will ultimately submit.

Here’s how they can help.

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Let’s assume you have identified one or a number of urban/ brownfield sites that could offer development opportunity.

You now need to ensure each one is viable

Here’s how to do this.

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Undertaking an appropriate technical land assessment before site purchase and mobilisation is a critical part of any profitable development.

Here are some key things to consider and include.

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Let’s start by looking at what grants are out there and who provides them.

The first thing to understand is, that there is no single, UK brownfield grant that developers can apply for.

They vary on a sub-regional basis.

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As a developer you’ll want to have the best possible relationships with local authorities, landowners and local residents near to (and possibly even occupying) the site you want to develop.

This blog will help you do this.

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Preparing a strong viability case to support your planning application is not a straightforward process and requires the right type of support.  If you are considering submitting a viability case in respect of your scheme, you may want to seek advice from a specialist viability consultant who can help you and who will consider the following key issues.

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Achieving planning consent is not just about what your scheme looks like, it is about a lot more.  The context within which your application is submitted is incredibly important. That’s why it’s important to get the right advice and that’s why you may need to work with a planning consultant.

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The Statutory Instrument with respect to an increase in planning fees was made on 20^th December 2017 and comes into force on 17^th January 2018. Planning fees are to increase by 20%. The Statutory Instrument has also introduced a fee for the submission of a Permission in Principle application. The Town and Country Planning (Permission in Principle) (Amendment) Order 2017 was made on 19^th December 2017 and comes into force on the 1^st June 2018. This introduces secondary legislation that allows landowners and developers to apply for a Permission in Principle, or Pip, rather than the only current mechanism for this being through Local Planning Authorities granting the Pip under Part 2 of the brownfield land register.

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Everyday for the next 38 days we will be providing a link to our responses to the Government's Housing White Paper; here is our reply to Question 1... 

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Recently I have been dealing with more cases for 'Enabling Development', either where it has been enforced by a Local Planning Authority to try and restrict development on a site, or adopted by an applicant who is seeking to increase development on a site. In either case, there has been an apparent lack of continuity and understanding in the way this planning tool is implemented. Having delved into this topic in quite some detail, it has only become more apparent to me why this is the case...

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