Areas we cover

National practice, local knowledge

Planning law is national. Planning decisions are not. Two identical houses on opposite sides of a council boundary regularly get different answers to the same design.

That is the whole argument for using a practice that submits across the country rather than one that has only ever worked in one borough. We see the same schemes assessed by dozens of different authorities, so we know where the real lines are drawn.

Before we design anything, we check your specific address against:

• Article 4 directions removing permitted development rights on particular streets, wards or whole districts
• Conservation areas and the appraisal and design guidance attached to each
• Listed building status, including curtilage listing
• Local validation lists — the council-specific documents required before an application is even accepted
• Adopted design guidance on dormer size, extension depth, materials and window proportions
• The planning history of the property and its immediate neighbours

How a multi-region practice runs a local job

A surveyor attends in person — we do not design from customer photographs. Drawings are produced by the same core team to the same standards wherever the site is, so quality does not depend on which office you happen to be near. Consultations and design reviews run by video, which is faster than everyone driving somewhere. Where we are also building, a project manager is on site through the works.