Providing planning advice & services to homeowners, businesses and property developers.

Planning Services

We offer a comprehensive range of professional planning services, helping clients with projects of all sizes.

Whether you are looking to extend your home, may have inadvertently breached planning control and be at risk of enforcement action or are looking for advice on developing a site, we provide a full range of planning services.

Our in-house professional team of surveyors and technicians provide a comprehensive service, utilising established relationships with other service providers including ecologists, landscape architects, arboricultural consultants and structural engineers where required, to manage the planning process from start to finish.

For more information on the services we offer or to arrange initial consultation, please contact us at contact@edwardheronmrics.com, or call 01962 398718

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Planning Applications

Planning Appeals

Development Site Appraisals

Local Plan Promotions

Planning Applications

(Outline, Permission in Principle, Full or Householder Applications)

From our initial consultation, we advise clients on the most appropriate application procedure to cost-effectively achieve their planning objectives, as well as the supporting information required for submission.

If architectural plans are necessary, we can collaborate with existing client-appointed architects or architectural technicians, or assist clients in selecting a qualified architectural consultant. We specify service requirements and obtain fee estimates on their behalf.

Working within an agreed budget estimate, we prepare and submit the planning application, undertaking formal pre-application engagement with the local planning authority as needed. Once submitted, we actively monitor the application, respond to inquiries and comments from consultees, and engage with key stakeholders such as Town/Parish councils, local councillors, and community representatives as required.

Should the application be scheduled for decision by the local planning authority’s planning committee, we attend on behalf of the client to make representations and address any questions committee members may have.

Certificate of Lawfulness Applications

(Existing or Proposed Use)

There are occasions where planning permission is not required, for example because the proposed works or change of use is immune from enforcement as the time limit for the local planning authority to commence enforcement action has elapsed or the proposed works are covered by ‘permitted development’. It may however be advisable to obtain a formal determination from the local planning authority to this effect, for example this may be required by a prospective purchaser or their mortgage provider, or to provide certainty and comfort ahead of undertaking costly building works.

As part of our initial consultation we will assess whether a Certificate of Lawfulness application is appropriate. Where proposed works do not meet the requirements for ‘permitted development’ we may either suggest changes or recommend the submission of a planning application.

Working within an agreed budget estimate, we prepare and submit the Certificate of Lawfulness application. Once submitted, we actively monitor the application, responding to inquiries or requests for additional information or evidence from the local planning authority.

Planning Enforcement

Being contacted by a member of the local planning authority’s planning enforcement team can be a source of significant concern. While it is often possible to resolve matters informally when clients contact us at the earliest opportunity, there are instances where formal enforcement action is unavoidable.

Regardless of the circumstances that have led to the enforcement action, we strive to support clients in achieving the most favourable resolution. This may include engaging informally with local authority enforcement teams, assisting clients in providing information formally required from them through the service of a Planning Contravention Notice, submitting retrospective planning applications, and lodging appeals against Enforcement Notices. We work diligently to develop and implement strategies that optimise the likelihood of a positive outcome.

Planning Application Appeals

We have significant experience in preparing and submitting planning appeals on behalf of clients. We undertake an initial review of the local authority’s decision, including the submitted application and local authority case file, to advise on the likelihood of obtaining a positive outcome.

After completing an initial assessment, we collaborate with clients to explore their options, which may include submitting an amended planning application or appealing the local authority’s decision to refuse planning consent. If an appeal is advised, we prepare and submit the appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. This involves conducting necessary research, using proprietary databases of past appeal decisions and legal precedents to draft the required Statement of Case. Where the appeal is determined by Hearing, we coordinate with the local authority to agree the mandated Statement of Common Ground before representing clients before the Inspector at the public hearing.

Most appeals are handled through Written Representation or Hearing processes. Complex cases requiring formal questioning or evidence under oath are determined by Inquiry. We assist clients by preparing briefs and instructing legal counsel.