Planning Applications in Chichester & Surrounding Areas
Professional guidance to help you understand the planning potential of your property and take your project through the application process. Planning can be one of the most uncertain parts of improving or developing a property. The appropriate route will depend on what you are proposing, the character of the existing building, its surroundings and any planning restrictions affecting the site.
Your Home Plans provides practical planning advice and prepares applications for home extensions, loft and garage conversions, annexes, replacement dwellings, new homes and residential development projects across Chichester, West Sussex and the surrounding area.
Before developing a proposal, we consider what you want to achieve and the planning issues that could influence the project. This helps us identify potential constraints early, explore the opportunities available, recommending the most appropriate route forward.
CIAT Chartered Practice · Established 2007 · Chichester & Surrounding Areas
Understanding the Planning Potential of Your Property
Do I Need Planning Permission?
Not every building project requires a full planning application. Some extensions, loft conversions and alterations may be possible under Permitted Development rights. Other projects will require planning permission because of their size, position, design or the particular restrictions affecting the property.
The planning position can also be influenced by previous extensions, planning conditions, conservation areas, listed-building status or the removal of Permitted Development rights.
As part of our free initial feasibility review, we consider the property and proposed works to help establish the likely planning route before you commit to detailed design work.
Planning Permission or Permitted Development?
Where Permitted Development rights are available, it may be possible to carry out certain works without making a conventional householder planning application.
However, Permitted Development is subject to detailed limitations and conditions. It should not be assumed that a project qualifies simply because a neighbouring property has completed something similar.
Where appropriate, we can prepare an application for a Lawful Development Certificate. This provides formal confirmation from the local planning authority that the proposed works comply with the relevant Permitted Development requirements.
For some larger home extensions, a prior-approval process may be available instead. We can advise whether this route is potentially suitable and prepare the information required for submission.
What Can Affect a Planning Application?
Every property and location presents a different combination of opportunities and constraints.
When developing a proposal, we may need to consider:
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The scale, height and position of the development
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The character and appearance of the existing property
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The relationship with neighbouring homes
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Overlooking, privacy, daylight and outlook
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Conservation areas and heritage considerations
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Listed buildings and buildings of local interest
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Flood risk and coastal constraints
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Protected trees and landscape considerations
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Parking, access and highway requirements
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Previous planning decisions and planning conditions
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The planning history of the property and surrounding area
Identifying these matters early allows them to inform the design rather than emerge as unexpected problems after an application has been submitted.
Planning Applications We Can Help With
Householder Planning Applications
For extensions, dormers, roof alterations, outbuildings, annexes and other works within the grounds of an existing home.
We develop the design with you, prepare the required architectural drawings and supporting information, submit the application and act as your agent during its consideration by the local planning authority.
Lawful Development Certificates
Where a project may fall within Permitted Development rights, a Lawful Development Certificate can provide formal confirmation that planning permission is not required.
We can assess the proposed work against the relevant criteria and prepare the drawings and application documents needed for the council to consider.
Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
Properties within conservation areas, listed buildings and other sensitive locations require particular care.
Successful proposals need to respond appropriately to the character, significance and setting of the property while still meeting the practical needs of the homeowner.
Where additional specialist information is required, such as a heritage statement, arboricultural assessment or ecological survey, we can help identify this at an early stage and coordinate it with the application.
New Homes and Residential Development
Planning applications for new homes, replacement dwellings and residential redevelopment involve wider considerations than most householder projects. These can include the principle of development, site access, neighbouring amenity, design quality, drainage, ecology, trees and the character of the surrounding area.
An early feasibility review is particularly valuable for these projects, helping to establish whether the site appears to have realistic development potential before substantial design costs are incurred.
How We Help You Through the Planning Process
1. Initial Feasibility Review
We discuss what you are hoping to achieve, review the property and identify the principal planning considerations that may affect the project.
2. Measured Survey
Where the project progresses, we undertake a measured survey and prepare accurate drawings of the existing property and site.
3. Design Development
We explore the available options and develop the preferred proposal with you, considering both the planning requirements and how the finished design will work in practice.
4. Application Preparation
We prepare the architectural drawings and application documents within our agreed scope and advise if any additional specialist reports are likely to be required.
5. Submission and Liaison
We submit the application, act as your planning agent and respond to reasonable queries raised by the planning officer while the application is being considered. Where an officer raises a concern, we will explain its implications and advise whether an appropriate amendment may help address it.
Planning decisions are made by the local planning authority and approval can never be guaranteed. Our role is to identify the relevant issues, develop a well-considered proposal and guide you clearly through the process.
Local Planning Experience
Based in Chichester, Your Home Plans works with homeowners and property owners across West Sussex and the surrounding area. Our experience includes straightforward householder applications as well as projects affected by conservation areas, listed buildings, flood risk, protected trees, neighbouring properties and other sensitive planning considerations.
Local planning knowledge is valuable, but every site must still be considered individually. We review the property, its planning history and its surroundings so that the design responds to the particular circumstances of the project.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does a Planning Application Take?
Once an application has been validated, most straightforward householder applications are intended to be determined within eight weeks. More complex projects can take longer, particularly where specialist consultation, additional information or amendments are required. Time should also be allowed before submission for the survey, design development and preparation of the application documents.
Can You Guarantee Planning Permission?
No architectural or planning professional can guarantee that an application will be approved because the decision rests with the local planning authority. We will give you an honest assessment of the likely issues, explain any areas of risk and develop the proposal with those considerations in mind. If we believe that a particular approach is unlikely to succeed, we will tell you and explore whether a more appropriate solution is available.
What Happens if the Planning Officer Requests Changes?
Planning officers sometimes raise concerns or suggest amendments while considering an application.
We will review any comments, explain what they mean and advise whether changes can reasonably be made without undermining your main objectives. Any substantial redesign or work outside the original scope would be discussed with you before it is undertaken.
What Happens After Planning Permission?
Planning permission establishes whether the proposed development is acceptable in planning terms. It does not provide the technical information needed to construct the project. The next stage will usually involve preparing detailed Building Regulations and construction drawings, coordinating structural design and making an application to Building Control. Your Home Plans can continue with this technical stage, helping turn the approved design into a practical and buildable project.
Start by Understanding What Is Possible
Whether you are considering an extension, conversion, annexe, new home or redevelopment project, the first step is understanding the planning potential of the property. Our free initial feasibility review gives you an opportunity to discuss your ideas, identify the likely planning route and understand the issues that could influence the project before committing to detailed design work.