How It Works

The full retrospective planning process, end to end. We handle every part of the application so you don't have to learn the planning system — from the first phone call to the day the decision notice lands.

1

Free Assessment

An honest read of your case from a Chartered Town Planner — before you spend a penny.

2

Fixed Quote

One transparent fee, agreed in writing. £450 + VAT for householder cases, £695 + VAT for everything else.

3

Full Package

Drawings, planning statement, supporting documents and forms — all prepared in seven working days.

4

Submit & Manage

Submission to the Planning Portal, then full agent management of the application until decision.

Step 1

The free assessment

The most important conversation is the first one. Before any work begins, we want to be sure your case has a realistic prospect of approval — and we want to be sure you understand exactly what you're committing to.

What we need from you

You don't need anything formal. A few photos and a short description of what was built is enough to get started.

  • Site address and postcode
  • A short description of what was built or changed
  • Approximate date the works were carried out
  • Photographs of the development from several angles
  • Any correspondence from the council, if you've had any
  • Your name and best contact details

What you get back

Within one working day, a Chartered Town Planner reviews your case and sends you a written, honest view.

  • A written assessment of your chances of approval
  • The specific planning issues the council is likely to raise
  • The right route forward — retrospective application, Certificate of Lawful Development, appeal, or do nothing
  • A fixed-fee quote for the full service, in writing
  • An indication of timescales and the likely council determination period
  • No pressure, no obligation to proceed

Step 2

The fixed quote and instruction

If you decide to proceed, we put everything in writing — the fee, the scope, the timeline, and exactly what you're getting. There are no hourly bills, no scope creep, and no surprise invoices at the end.

Two simple tiers

  • £450 + VAT — householder applications (extensions, outbuildings, garage conversions, car ports, loft conversions, walls, hard standing)
  • £695 + VAT — all other applications (change of use, HMO conversions, annexes used as separate dwellings, agricultural-to-residential, commercial)
  • Council application fees paid directly by you to the council at submission
  • Specialist third-party reports (e.g. ecology, BNG, structural) priced separately if needed

What happens on instruction

  • Written confirmation of scope, fee and timeline
  • Secure payment link sent to you (BACS or card)
  • Work begins the same day on receipt of payment
  • You're introduced to your named Chartered Town Planner
  • We start the seven-working-day clock

Step 3

The full application package

Within seven working days, we produce everything your council needs to validate and determine the application. No drawings outsourced to a third party, no statements written by an unqualified writer, no bare-bones submissions left to chance. The full package, in one go, by one Chartered Town Planner.

🖌

A complete planning drawings package

A full set of plans drawn in-house to council validation standards — not a sketch, not a CAD file from a third party, not a rough block plan downloaded from a portal.

  • Site location plan (1:1250, OS-based, with the site outlined in red)
  • Site block plan (1:500) showing the property in its plot
  • Existing floor plans, scaled and dimensioned
  • Proposed floor plans showing the development as built
  • Existing and proposed elevations (typically 1:50 or 1:100)
  • Roof plans where required by the application type
  • Cross-sections where the case calls for them
  • Parking and access plans where the council requires them
📝

A comprehensive planning statement

A professional, policy-led document arguing for approval on the planning grounds councils are required to weigh. Not a template. Not auto-generated. Written from scratch by a Chartered Town Planner who has read your case in full.

  • Site context and description, with the surrounding character
  • Full planning history of the property and immediate area
  • National Planning Policy Framework (2024) review
  • Local Plan policy analysis with named policies
  • Supplementary planning guidance and design codes review
  • Conservation area, listed building and heritage analysis (where relevant)
  • Article 4 direction check
  • Material planning considerations addressed in turn
  • The justification for approval, framed around the right policy hooks
🔍

Research, precedents & case law

We research the cases and decisions that strengthen your application — the same intelligence the largest planning consultancies use. All included as standard.

  • Comparable approvals from your council and neighbouring authorities
  • Recent appeal decisions from the Planning Inspectorate
  • Relevant planning case law where it bears on your case
  • Local Plan and emerging Local Plan policies
  • Supplementary planning documents and design guidance
  • Council enforcement and validation policies
  • Article 4 directions and any local restrictions on permitted development rights
📋

Supporting documents & specialist studies

Some applications need more than drawings and a planning statement. We tell you up front what your case requires, which documents we produce in-house, and which have to come from third-party specialists — and we coordinate the lot so there are no nasty surprises at validation.

  • Heritage statement (for listed buildings and conservation areas)
  • Heritage impact assessments for listed buildings
  • Flood risk assessments to NPPF technical standards
  • Tree survey input and arboricultural impact assessments
  • Ecology, biodiversity net gain (BNG) assessments and metric
  • Bat, badger and protected species surveys
  • Transport assessments, travel plans and visibility splays
  • Acoustic assessments for HMOs, change of use and commercial cases
  • Drainage strategies and sustainable drainage (SuDS) input
  • Reasonable exception statements where applicable
📤

Application forms & certificates

Every form, every certificate, every box ticked correctly. Application validation is one of the easiest places for self-submitted cases to fall over — and one of the easiest things for a Chartered planner to get right first time.

  • The correct application form (householder, full, change of use, prior approval, Certificate of Lawful Development, removal/variation of conditions)
  • Ownership certificates (Certificate A, B, C or D as applicable)
  • Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) forms where the council requires them — including CIL Form 1, additional information, and self-build exemption claims where relevant
  • Agricultural holdings certificates where applicable
  • The complete validation pack to your council's local list

Step 4

Submission and ongoing case management

Submission is the start, not the end. Most retrospective applications take 8–13 weeks to determine, and the work doesn't stop the moment the form goes in. As your registered planning agent, we run the case from validation to decision — and beyond if conditions need discharging.

What happens after submission

Your application goes through validation (typically 5–10 working days), then a 21-day public consultation, then assessment by a named case officer. They may request additional information, raise concerns, invite amendments, or consult statutory bodies. We handle every step on your behalf.

Most decisions are made under delegated powers within 8 weeks. Larger or more contentious cases may go to the planning committee — in which case we prepare written submissions and, where useful, a representation at the meeting.

If conditions are imposed on the consent, we explain each one in plain English and tell you exactly what you need to do to discharge them.

What we manage on your behalf

  • Validation queries from the council
  • Case officer questions and requests for further information
  • Statutory consultee responses (highways, conservation, environmental health, drainage, ecology)
  • Third-party objection management
  • Negotiating amendments where they would secure approval
  • Committee submissions and representations where the case is referred
  • Reviewing the decision notice and explaining any planning conditions
  • Advising on next steps if the decision isn't what we hoped
  • Discharge of condition applications, where required

What's Required of You

We do the heavy lifting

Most clients are surprised by how little they have to do. The whole point of instructing a Chartered Town Planner is that you stop having to learn the planning system — we already know it.

What you do

  • Send us a few photos at the assessment stage
  • Tell us briefly what was built and roughly when
  • Forward any council correspondence you've received
  • Confirm the scope and pay the fee when you're happy
  • Sign the planning statement and application form (we send you a digital signing link)
  • Let us know if anything new comes from the council during determination

What we do

  • Everything else

Timeline

From your first phone call to a decision

A typical retrospective case runs to a council determination in 10–14 weeks. Here's roughly how the time breaks down.

Day 1
Free assessment.

You send photos and a description. A Chartered Town Planner reviews and writes back with an honest view and a fixed quote.

Day 2–3
Decision and instruction.

If you choose to proceed, we confirm scope and fee in writing. Payment is made and work begins the same day.

Day 3–10
Application package prepared.

Drawings, planning statement, supporting documents and forms produced in-house. Seven working days from instruction.

Day 10–12
Submission and validation.

We submit the application via the Planning Portal. The council application fee is paid directly by you to the council. Council validation typically takes 5–10 working days.

Week 3–6
Public consultation and case officer assessment.

21-day neighbour consultation. Statutory consultees respond. Case officer reviews the application and may raise queries.

Week 8–13
Decision.

Most cases are decided under delegated powers within 8 weeks. Committee or complex cases may run to 13+ weeks. We manage every step.

Ready to start?

The first step is a free, no-obligation conversation with a Chartered Town Planner.