Secrets To Planning Success
Zara Moon, RIBA Chartered Architect and Planning Consultant at Zara Moon Architects discusses the key factors to ensuring your planning application has the best possible chance of success
ZMA has maintained a 96 per cent planning success rate since setting up in practice in 2017, with over 200 projects.
Specialising in sensitive sites, 90 per cent of their projects are on the most difficult sites across Lancashire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester (Green Belt, Open Countryside, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Conservation Areas and Listed Buildings).
“When the same team leads the design and planning process, it allows the project to have an integrated design and planning strategy from day one. Client’s choose to work with us as they want a bespoke design, but they typically have a tricky site. This is where the skills of both an architect and planning consultant are required to think outside the box in order to achieve approval,” explains Zara.
ZMA projects are designed based on the site and the client. Site research is completed which defines the site limits and what can be achieved. A planning strategy is then devised to achieve the client’s end goal.
Based on achieving planning approval in over 20 different local authorities, the following five factors are the key to ensuring the best chance of success:
THE DESIGN
The right design for the site is paramount. The power of design is that it can design-out problems and even policy in some cases. Design can be used as a tool to remove issues and create the spaces a client requires – it is literally the key to everything. If the design doesn’t work – the officer will not support the application.
JUSTIFICATION
Every decision needs to be justified through a thorough design process that is derived through understanding the site and the client. Being aware of key issues allows you to prepare solutions to overcome them.
INFORMATION
A planning officer once told me that they guarantee everything they would need to know about a ZMA project, will be in our supporting statements. Knowledge gaps in an application will raise questions and people will make (potentially wrong) presumptions. Leaving information out is not worth getting a refusal for!
COMMUNICATION
Managing and monitoring an application and how you communicate with the planning officer is key to achieving their support. Fast response times are paramount, being accessible to speak to an officer will allow the process to run smoothly, avoiding delays and allowing an open dialogue ensures they know you are open to working with them.
COMPROMISE
Planning officers literally hold the key to your dreams. They may express concerns which they need addressing or they won’t support the scheme. Often these can be addressed with minor tweaks without impacting the client’s ambitions. If the suggestions potentially compromise the application, more justification is provided to explain the reasoning or demonstrate the quality of the scheme.
If you have a site or building requiring an integrated design and planning solution, get in touch with your site address and what you want to achieve and we will take it from there.
ZMA
The Barn at Fieldings Farm
Whalley Banks, Whalley BB7 9JL
01200 403840
zaramoonarchitects.co.uk
