When to Hire a Town Planner

Planning applications and all their potential complications can be daunting. With a million and one things to think about, it’s very easy to make oversights that could make life difficult for you in the long run. By hiring a town planner, you will have the reassurance that there is someone there to provide expert guidance every step of the way, increasing your chances of a successful project from the outset.

But when exactly should you hire a town planner?

Essentially, there are two broad areas that a town planner can help with, split into a range of subsections. Let’s take a look at the diverse applications of a great town planner, and how they can help your project progress without a hitch. Here are the primary areas that a town planner can help with!

1 – Creating a Planning Application

Submitting a successful planning application can feel like a minefield. There’s a great deal to think about, and you may find the goalposts changing along the way. A town planner can help you take care of the details and ensure your proposal is as effective as possible from pre-application and beyond. Here are a few things we can help with:

  • Providing feedback on the design process. There’s nothing more heart-breaking than putting hours of time, energy and money into a project to find a major problem standing in your way. Get a town planner involved from the outset to ensure your project is complying with all the local guidelines and regulations.
  • Making sure you have the right documentation. The planning process involves a lot of documents, admin and box-ticking. Hiring a town planner to help with this is a smart idea; we can make sure there are no costly oversights along the way.
  • Navigating the system. We can help you all the way through the application process, once submitted a town planner will monitor and engage with relevant bodied maximising the chances of you being able to secure planning approval.

2 – Fighting Your Corner

With many projects, there are inevitably bumps in the road throughout the planning and construction process. In this case, a great town planner can be an invaluable asset. There are a few main areas we can help you with here:

  • Offer representation. Your town planner can communicate with the council or any other relevant bodies on your behalf, throughout both the general process and any disputes to get the best possible outcome for you and your project.
  • Appealing is necessary. If the worst happens and your application is refused, engaging a town planner will provide you with the best chance of securing permission for your proposal.
  • Help with planning enforcement. If the worst happens and you’re threatened with enforcement action for a planning breach, hiring a town planner is a great way to get things back on track as smoothly as possible, without any drastic enforcement action being necessary.

Essentially, whatever your project, a town planner can guide you through the process efficiently, offering expert support and guidance if anything goes wrong along the way. Now you know when to hire a town planner, take a look at our Guide on how to choose the best town planner for you!