| The Company
ABOUT US
For over 25 years we have provided a planning and structural engineering
service to be both private and sector in all aspects of the construction
industry. Anything from a small front porch to a private house to a small
office lock, block of apartments, or a retaining wall for a basement construction
is designed by us. We have many clients from the years gone by that approach
us for repeat plans and details for new projects.
We have contractors that we have known for years that we can recommend
to clients for the work, and we are fully indemnified (have professional
insurance) which is a must when doing this type of work. Anybody that
you employ ought to have some form of insurance.
PROCEDURE
Until you have the full facts it is sometimes difficult to know whether
or not to proceed. Therefore feel free to call for advice on any matter
and we will try to help you. Most councils have their own set of guidelines
that can be viewed on line that will give you some idea of how far you
can extend your property. If this confuses you then give us a call and
we will try to assist you the best we can.
Once you have decided to proceed and we have been appointed we will arrange
to visit the property and undertake a full survey, which normally takes
a maximum of an hour. The project will be discussed with you and any immediate
problems (if any) will be recognised and explained to you.
It is intended to have your plans leave our office within 12 working
days from the date of the survey and your package will include a full
set of working plans, building specifications and a letter explaining
your council fees. Once we have your council fees (in the form of a cheque
payable to your local authority), along with settlement of our invoice,
your applications will be sent to the council by us acting as your agent
within a few days of receipt.
If you require any changes before we submit your plans, we ask that you
mark these changes in red on the plan you have and return them to us.
We understand that in some cases it is difficult to see exactly how your
extension/conversion will look until a set of plans have been drawn.
With larger projects we sometimes provide you with a draft first to give
you an idea what the room sizes will be and how the build will look before
preparing final plans. This gives you the chance to revise the scheme
at an early stage.
Planning applications for works other than domestic extensions now require
to be accompanied by a report called a "Access and design statement"
which is a small report on the proposed development outlining the proposals
in relation to the council's guidelines/policies and in brief is almost
like appealing against the decision before it has even been decided. Extensions and conversions in conservation areas and green belt will also require this report..
Please note that the submission of a planning application does not automatically
mean that it will be approved. Applications are submitted in accordance
with the council policies where able and we cannot be held responsible
for the final decision of the case officer who may, at their own discretion,
fail the application even though it falls within council guidelines for
reasons of their own.
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