A complete retrospective planning service from a Chartered Town Planner — one all-inclusive fixed fee, seven working days.
Everything your council needs to make a positive decision — prepared, submitted and managed by Chartered Town Planners. One transparent price.
We assess your site, the development that has taken place, and how the council is likely to view it. Photos, measurements and a desktop review of the planning history.
We identify the relevant Local Plan policies, the National Planning Policy Framework (2024) and any supplementary guidance, then build the case for approval around them.
A complete drawing package — existing site plans, proposed plans, elevations and location plans — produced to council validation standards.
A comprehensive, policy-based planning statement that argues for approval on planning grounds — not on the grounds that the development already exists.
We complete the application form and submit through the Planning Portal. The council application fee is paid directly by you to the council.
We act as your planning agent throughout determination — responding to officer queries, negotiating amendments, and pushing for a decision.
Every retrospective application is different, but most fall into one of the categories below. If yours doesn't, we'd still like to hear from you.
Front, side, rear and two-storey extensions built without permission, including those that exceed permitted development limits. We frame the application around amenity, scale, character and design.
Garden rooms, log cabins, sheds and detached studios that have outgrown permitted development — whether by size, height, location or use.
Integral or detached garages converted into habitable rooms, home offices or independent annexes. We address parking provision, character impact and any change of use issue.
Car ports, canopies and porte-cocheres added to the front, side or rear of a property — including those that have triggered visibility, character or boundary objections from the council.
Agricultural buildings to residential, commercial to residential, single dwellings to HMOs, B1 to retail. Change of use is one of the most enforcement-prone areas of planning — and one of our specialisms.
Conversions that exceed permitted development volume limits, alter the roof line, or have created new dormers or rooflights without consent.
Outbuildings used as separate, independent dwellings — one of the trickiest retrospective cases and one we deal with frequently. We argue ancillary use or, where appropriate, full residential consent.
Walls, fences and gates that exceed the 1m (highway-facing) or 2m (elsewhere) permitted development thresholds, and other boundary treatments that have triggered complaints.
Properties operating as Houses in Multiple Occupation without the necessary planning consent — including Article 4 areas and sui generis HMOs (7+ bedrooms).
Front gardens converted to off-street parking using non-permeable materials, and other unauthorised hard surfacing.
Barns and farm buildings converted to dwellings without Class Q prior approval or full planning consent. Often complex, often approvable with the right approach.
Balconies, Juliet balconies and roof terraces added without consent — typically flagged by councils over overlooking, privacy and character impact on neighbouring properties. Framed properly, most are approvable with appropriate screening or design tweaks.
Don't panic and don't ignore it — the worst outcomes come from doing nothing. We can usually act within hours of your call.
Read the notice carefully and note the deadlines — you typically have 28 days to act. Take photos of the development as it stands. Find any drawings, invoices or correspondence relating to when and how the work was carried out. Then call us.
We assess the notice, identify the most defensible route — retrospective application, appeal, or Certificate of Lawful Development — and prepare the necessary documents within seven working days. Where appropriate, we negotiate directly with the enforcement officer to put the matter on hold pending a decision.
We don't bill by the hour and we don't add extras at the end. The fee we quote you up front is the fee you pay.
For extensions, outbuildings, garage conversions, car ports, loft conversions, boundary walls, hard standing and other householder development on a single dwelling.
For change of use, HMO conversions, annexes used as separate dwellings, agricultural-to-residential, commercial works and any non-householder application.
Free initial assessment. Before either tier kicks in, a Chartered Town Planner reviews your case and gives you an honest, written view of approvability — with no charge and no obligation. Council application fees are paid directly by you to the council, not through us.
Enforcement notice appeals and major or complex retrospective schemes are quoted separately — get in touch for a fixed price.
A Chartered Town Planner will review your situation and give you an honest, written view of approvability — before you spend a penny.