Design
This is the first step on the pathway from conception to completion of your project. Bennington Green have specialist knowledge of the planning process with over 50 years of in-house expertise, we pride ourselves in achieving planning consent and look to advise our clients on the best route to success. This may take the form of pre-application submissions prior to developing the design to a future planning consent. Each project has different needs and we tailor each of our applications to seek its most favourable outcome.
It is essential at this stage that we fully capture and understand all of your ideas and desired outcomes for the project. We will produce an initial design which will show you basic plans and elevations along with site plans. Our design team have extensive experience and will be able to offer you suggestions to make the best use of your space and or budget.
At this stage, the proposal can be taken to the local authority Planning Department for pre-application consultation (if required). This is a preliminary opportunity to sound out the council and perhaps deal with any contentious issues before the design is finalised and a full planning application submitted. At the same time, it is good practice to discuss the scheme with neighbours, parish, and other local councillors and, for larger schemes perhaps consider a public exhibition or meeting.
Feedback from the various consultations may indicate that the scheme should be modified; it may be something as simple as changing glass from clear to obscure, or something more radical such as re-orientating a building or changing the roof shape. If changes are made, they should be noted in the “Planning, Design and Access Statement” as outcomes from the pre-application consultation stage.
If the scheme is viable and you wish to go ahead, we would then propose preparing and submitting a full planning application. Get in touch to discuss how Bennington Green can help you.
Not all building work requires Planning Approval. Some small buildings, extensions and alterations are exempt or have deemed consent under 'Permitted Development' rights. These rights vary according to the use of the building or land; they are further modified if the building is Listed or located in a Conservation Area, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or National Park. We will advise you on the need for Planning Consent and, where appropriate, Listed Building Consent.
Planning application's invariably consist of a number of scale drawings. These will show the site location in relation to the local road network and adjacent neighbours; the site with topographical details including, where appropriate, levels and trees; existing building plans; and, the building proposals. The proposed plans often include floor plans and elevations, details of materials including landscaping, roads and paths. This may be accompanied by a written 'Planning, Design and Access Statement', this illustrates the process that has led to the proposal and explains and justifies the design in a structured way; it will cover the principles that guided the layout and design; show how access for pedestrians and vehicles has been considered including the needs of the disabled; it will also address the past planning history of the site as well as local and national planning policies. Additional information may also be supplied including photographs, transport plans, traffic surveys, flood risk assessments, structural surveys, archaeological and ecological reports. All of this will be presented in a way to seek the applications success.
We will undertake a measured survey of the property and coordinate with any specialist consultants (i.e. agriculturalist, ecological consultants) that may be required in order to submit a planning application.
Bennington Green are expert agents and will look to manage your application with efficiency and professionalism, we actively engage with the case officer assigned to the application by the council to ensure they meet targets and our proposals are considered promptly. We have vast experience in knowing when to prompt and how to communicate effectively with the local authorities planning departments. This understanding allows us to know how to manage certain issues with planning officers and ensure their engagement in the design process, all with the firm intent to obtain a planning approval. We pride ourselves in an approachable, honest and forthcoming attitude when working with our clients, consultees and all interested parties.
To better understand the local authority planning fees that may apply to your scheme, please visit the planning portal here.
We are pleased to offer our fees on a fixed fee basis and would welcome the opportunity to discuss your project. Our initial consultation to discuss your plans is free of change, get in touch to discuss how Bennington Green can help you.
Some small buildings, minor alterations and most modest repairs are exempt from Building Regulation approval however the rules on this are not always easy to follow. We can offer advice on whether your proposed project requires a Building Regulations Application.
You can start most residential schemes without prior approval under the 'Building Notice' procedure should you wish. This procedure best suits small, uncomplicated schemes as it generally avoids the preparation of full detailed plans, calculations and construction notes. However, because the work on-site is inspected as it progresses there are risks that the works be considered unsatisfactory and this may result in it having to be removed or taken down and re-done; this will add to cost and cause a delay. It may also lead to a dispute with the builder over who is responsible for the unsatisfactory work.
The safest option, and the generally preferred route, is to submit a 'Full Plans' application. As the name implies fully detailed construction plans are submitted together with full construction notes, supporting structural and thermal calculations to show compliance with the Regulations. The building regulation drawings are far more detailed than the Planning drawings; they are often at a larger scale, and generally include detailed sections and are usually fully dimensioned.
These are complex regulations to which we have extensive knowledge and understanding of.
There are various routes that you may take to obtain Building Regulations approval. The first option is to approach your local building control department within your local council. The second is to appoint an approved building control inspector. We have built long-standing relationships with a number of independent building control inspectors meaning that we can obtain competitive quotations and an efficient service.
Our Building Regulations applications are generally accepted without comment, get in touch to discuss how Bennington Green can help you.
As well as being able to offer the physical design capability Bennington Green is able to act as ‘Design Guardian’ to ensure that a client’s design intentions are realised by either external consultants or a design and build contractor. This role ensures that other designers do not dilute the client’s requirements in the interests of either themselves or the contractor to the detriment of our client. We can also monitor design programmes to ensure that suitable design information is being provided at the appropriate times and to highlight and manage any upcoming design bottlenecks.
Additionally, with the use of Bennington Green’s organisational and planning skills, we can act as ‘Lead-Designer’ and bring together architects, structural engineers, service engineers and specialist designers to produce a coordinated design. We can ensure that appointments, and particularly the scope of services, is appropriate for each specialist to ensure that the client’s brief is provided and to ensure that the expectations are clear for all involved. We would always ensure that the design information provided is of the right quality in accordance with the appointments and keeps pace with project time scales.
With the aid of technologies such as 3D or BIM modelling, we can improve design coordination efforts by making design conflicts more visible to designers and construction planners.
Get in touch to discuss how Bennington Green can help you.
