How It Works

The full planning permission process for your garden room, garden office, shed or outbuilding — from the first message to the day the decision notice lands. We handle every part so you don't have to learn the planning system.

1

Free Check

An honest read of your build from a Chartered Town Planner — before you spend a penny.

2

Fixed Quote

One transparent fee, agreed in writing. £395 + VAT for a CLD, or £495 + VAT for a full application.

3

Full Package

Drawings, planning statement and forms — all prepared in seven working days.

4

Submit & Manage

Submission to the Planning Portal, then full agent management of the application until decision.

Free Tool

Free Interactive Planning Checker

Answer a few questions about your garden room, garden office, shed or outbuilding and get an instant answer on whether you need planning permission.

Try the Free Planning Checker → Or get a free check by email

Step 1

The free planning check

The most important conversation is the first one. Before any work begins, we want to be sure your case has a clear and realistic route — and we want you to know exactly what you're committing to.

What we need from you

You don't need anything formal. A few photos and a brief description are enough to get started.

  • Site address and postcode
  • What you want to build (or have already built)
  • Approximate size, height and distance from the boundary
  • Intended use (office, gym, studio, guest room, storage, etc.)
  • Photographs of the garden and proposed location
  • Your name and best contact details

What you get back

Within one working day, a Chartered Town Planner reviews your case and sends you a written, honest view.

  • A clear answer on whether you need planning permission
  • Whether your build qualifies under permitted development (Class E)
  • Whether a Certificate of Lawful Development is the smarter route
  • Any specific issues the council is likely to raise
  • A fixed-fee quote — £395 + VAT for a CLD, or £495 + VAT for a full planning application — in writing
  • No pressure, no obligation to proceed

Step 2

The fixed quote and instruction

If you decide to proceed, we put everything in writing — the fee, the scope, the timeline, and exactly what you're getting. There are no hourly bills, no scope creep, and no surprise invoices at the end.

Free

Online Checker

£0

Instant online assessment — find out in under 2 minutes whether you need planning permission.

Try the Checker →

CLD

Certificate of Lawful Development

£395 + VAT

Formal council confirmation your build is lawful. Location plan + supporting letter. Essential before building — and when selling.

Get a CLD →

What happens on instruction

  • Written confirmation of scope, fee and timeline
  • Secure payment link sent to you (BACS or card)
  • Work begins the same day on receipt of payment
  • Direct email line to your Chartered Town Planner
  • Council fees paid directly by you to the council at cost

More complex cases

  • Multiple buildings, change of use, listed buildings or annexes argued as separate dwellings are quoted separately
  • Always in writing before work begins
  • No hourly billing, no scope creep

Step 3

The full application package

Within seven working days, we produce everything your council needs to validate and determine the application. Drawings produced in-house, statement written from scratch, every form ticked correctly.

🖌

Complete drawings package

A full set of plans drawn in-house to council validation standards.

  • Site location plan (1:1250, OS-based, with the site outlined in red)
  • Site block plan (1:500) showing the building in its plot
  • Existing and proposed floor plans, scaled and dimensioned
  • Existing and proposed elevations from all relevant directions
  • Cross-sections where the case calls for them
  • Roof plans where required by the application type
  • Distances to boundaries and adjacent dwellings clearly marked
📝

Comprehensive planning statement

A professional, policy-led document arguing for approval on the planning grounds councils are required to weigh. Written from scratch by a Chartered Town Planner.

  • Site context and description
  • Permitted development rights review (Class E and beyond)
  • Planning history of the property and immediate area
  • National planning policy framework review (NPPF in England, PPW in Wales, NPF4 in Scotland)
  • Local Plan policy analysis with named policies
  • Conservation area, listed building and Article 4 checks
  • Material planning considerations addressed in turn
  • Justification for approval, framed around the right policy hooks
🔍

Permitted development analysis

Class E (and adjacent classes) are deceptively detailed. We work through every condition and limitation, document the position, and either confirm permitted development or show why a planning application is the right route.

  • Volume, height and footprint check
  • Eaves height (and the 2.5m within 2m-of-boundary rule)
  • Curtilage and "in front of the principal elevation" check
  • Coverage of original garden (the 50% rule)
  • Use class — ancillary, sleeping, separate dwelling
  • Restrictions in Article 2(3) land (conservation areas, AONBs, National Parks, Broads, World Heritage Sites)
  • Article 4 direction check
📤

Application forms & certificates

Every form, every certificate, every box ticked correctly. Application validation is one of the easiest places for self-submitted cases to fall over — and one of the easiest things for a Chartered planner to get right first time.

  • The correct application form (householder, full, Certificate of Lawful Development, or removal/variation of conditions)
  • Ownership certificates (Certificate A, B, C or D as applicable)
  • Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) forms where the council requires them
  • The complete validation pack to your council's local list
  • Direct submission via the Planning Portal

Step 4

Submission and ongoing case management

Submission is the start, not the end. Most householder applications take 8 weeks to determine, and the work doesn't stop the moment the form goes in. As your registered planning agent, we run the case from validation to decision.

What happens after submission

Your application goes through validation (typically 5–10 working days), then a 21-day public consultation, then assessment by a named case officer. They may request additional information, raise concerns or invite amendments. We handle every step on your behalf.

Most householder garden room decisions are made under delegated powers within 8 weeks. We chase, manage and explain at every stage so the case keeps moving.

What we manage on your behalf

  • Validation queries from the council
  • Case officer questions and requests for further information
  • Statutory consultee responses (highways, conservation, ecology)
  • Third-party objection management
  • Negotiating amendments where they would secure approval
  • Reviewing the decision notice and explaining any planning conditions
  • Advising on next steps if the decision isn't what we hoped

Timeline

From your first message to a decision

A typical garden room case runs to a council determination in around 10–14 weeks. Here's roughly how the time breaks down.

Day 1
Free check.

You send photos and a description. A Chartered Town Planner reviews and writes back with an honest view and a fixed quote.

Day 2–3
Decision and instruction.

If you choose to proceed, we confirm scope and fee in writing. Payment is made and work begins the same day.

Day 3–10
Application package prepared.

Drawings, planning statement, supporting documents and forms produced in-house. Seven working days from instruction.

Day 10–12
Submission and validation.

We submit the application via the Planning Portal. The council application fee is paid directly by you to the council. Council validation typically takes 5–10 working days.

Week 3–6
Public consultation and case officer assessment.

21-day neighbour consultation. Statutory consultees respond. Case officer reviews the application and may raise queries.

Week 8
Decision.

Most householder garden room cases are decided under delegated powers within 8 weeks. We manage every step.

Ready to start?

The first step is a free, no-obligation check from a Chartered Town Planner.