changing a planning application (NI)

damianmc

I have been looking at a site i like which has full planning on it (in the north)
However,although the site is great , the plans passed wouldnt be what i would build.
what is involved in getting these plans changed? do i need a complete new application or is it straightforward enough?

the house thats there is too big, so i would be scaling it back a bit.
it also wouldnt be my style, i would be going fro something a bit plainer.
if possible i would like to move the house on the plot slightly to make better use of the south facing side to get more light in ( its surrounded by trees on that side)
Any advice would be appreiciated

DeeJunFan

normally this wouldn't be a major issue. You will need to get an architect on the job.

You can re-submit plans as far as i am aware. You now need planning for Air Source Heat Pumps would need to re-submit for things like that. The Fee is around £900 from memory.

As long as there are no issues with the site eg Green Belt, PPS21 conditions etc the planners should be happy enough with the changes you suggest. If the house is rural read the guide for rural development NI and see the style the planners like. The "Long House" used to be the preferred build style but they have added more acceptable modern styles in the last few years.

As for the position on the site. Planning permission is usually applied to the entire site and the placement of the property is a guide on the planning application. As long as you don't move it to close to the road then re-positioning should be ok. again if you are going to re-submit plans anyway this should be taken care of.

damianmc

Thanks,
Yes its a rural site, quite large, about and acre and a half.
I am keen on the site, however i dont want to go ahead and buy it and then discover that i cant build what i would like on it.
As i am likley to reduce the size of the house if anything I imagine that wouldnt be a problem.
The otehr main concern is that there are alot of mature trees screening teh south facing side of the house, so i would like to moove the footprint forward a bit as i imagine that would help with solar gain.
Probably my best bet would be to get an archiect to look at it before i think about makinga bid on the site.
I presume most of them would come out and do a consultation for you?

What could i expect to pay an architect in fees?
I would say it would be something around 2200 sq ft
i would like a bit of thought put into it rather than just the typical carbon copy ireish bungalow, and while maybe not a passive house, aiming that sort of direction.
If anyone has any recomendations for a good architect in the north send me a PM

DeeJunFan

Id say the cheapest you would get an architect would be £1 per sq ft. Then they may charge extra for mortgage sign off etc.

If i where you i would ring the planners. There is a duty planning officer who takes phone calls and if you have the planning reference they will look up the file and give you some advice over the phone.

I did this before when looking at a site with an old chapel on it. They had photos and all on file and could tell me which features would have to be kept.

If there is full planning on the site all the details will be on-line. So you will be able to see the planners thoughts on the site. Search Public Access on Planning NI.

damianmc

DeeJunFan wrote: »

Id say the cheapest you would get an architect would be £1 per sq ft. Then they may charge extra for mortgage sign off etc.

If i where you i would ring the planners. There is a duty planning officer who takes phone calls and if you have the planning reference they will look up the file and give you some advice over the phone.

I did this before when looking at a site with an old chapel on it. They had photos and all on file and could tell me which features would have to be kept.

If there is full planning on the site all the details will be on-line. So you will be able to see the planners thoughts on the site. Search Public Access on Planning NI.

I had a quick look online, the original planning app was recieved on26/08/2009 &the DOE decision was made on 10/12/2010.
is it 5 years that planning is 'live ' for?
which of these dates is it taken from?

Maybe my best bet would be ring the planners alright

damianmc

strangely there are no plans or an details online, just that planning ahs been granted

DeeJunFan

There wont be plans on-line. But the decision notice etc should be on-line.

this will document the planning officers site visit and what they thought of the site and its location etc.

It will also give details of any problems or issues brought up with the Roads service or any objections.

There may have been plans re-submitted to overcome issues. this would leave you in a better position to understand the site and what you might be able to do.

damianmc

DeeJunFan wrote: »

There wont be plans on-line. But the decision notice etc should be on-line.

this will document the planning officers site visit and what they thought of the site and its location etc.

It will also give details of any problems or issues brought up with the Roads service or any objections.

There may have been plans re-submitted to overcome issues. this would leave you in a better position to understand the site and what you might be able to do.

I have definiantly seen plans attached online before, but there is nothing with this application,
there is no detail whatsoever on the decison notice either.
Looks like my best bet is to ring them up

DeeJunFan

It depends on when the application was made. mine was made in 2009 and there are no plans on-line but there decision notice etc is all there.

Do you have the Planning Number?

If i were you i'd want the full history on it. For example my permission has a habitation clause that states i have to live in the house for the first 5 years after completion. There are other such restrictions.

I'd also want to know how difficult the planning process was. Were there numerous refusals/objections?

Some architects may advise you to just go with the plans you have if the planning process was overly difficult.

If all that is ok. Then you could consider just going with a arch technician to re-draw your plans and take care of building control for you.

damianmc

DeeJunFan wrote: »

It depends on when the application was made. mine was made in 2009 and there are no plans on-line but there decision notice etc is all there.

Do you have the Planning Number?

If i were you i'd want the full history on it. For example my permission has a habitation clause that states i have to live in the house for the first 5 years after completion. There are other such restrictions.

I'd also want to know how difficult the planning process was. Were there numerous refusals/objections?

Some architects may advise you to just go with the plans you have if the planning process was overly difficult.

If all that is ok. Then you could consider just going with a arch technician to re-draw your plans and take care of building control for you.

yeah, i have the planning number, when i go online it gives some basic information on teh applicant/agent and dates etc, but no actual planning detail.
inital panning was 2004, then again in 2006 and the latest one is 2009.they all have separate planning numbers.
I know the site has changed hands a few times in that time.
I think it was one of those ones bought in the boom thinking they could make a few quid on it, and im hoping it could be available now at alot less (particularly if planning is running out on it)
The site has been cleared and partially dug out (top soil all cleared) but thats it and it has sat like that now for a number of years.

DeeJunFan

ok it must have been refused in 2004 and 2006. There were changes with PPS21 that allowed a farmer to build one house every 10 years on his land. There could be restrictions with that thought. There were a number of other considerations added in 2009. My application was from Jan 2009 but not passed until October 2011 so it might not be running out just yet. If the planning was approved based on a specific section of PPS21 that you do not satisfy there may be a risk involved in going for changes.

And there is nothing under the Associated Document tab in Public Access? If you want to PM me the reference i can have a look.

I have signed planning report and decision notice attached to mine.

They may have cleared the site in case the planning was running out. If they put the foundations in the planning will be carried over for another year or more depending on the approval details.

damianmc

DeeJunFan wrote: »

ok it must have been refused in 2004 and 2006. There were changes with PPS21 that allowed a farmer to build one house every 10 years on his land. There could be restrictions with that thought. There were a number of other considerations added in 2009. My application was from Jan 2009 but not passed until October 2011 so it might not be running out just yet. If the planning was approved based on a specific section of PPS21 that you do not satisfy there may be a risk involved in going for changes.

And there is nothing under the Associated Document tab in Public Access? If you want to PM me the reference i can have a look.

I have signed planning report and decision notice attached to mine.

They may have cleared the site in case the planning was running out. If they put the foundations in the planning will be carried over for another year or more depending on the approval details.

i phoned the planners thereand they tell me the planning has lapsed.
2004 was outline planning, FPP was granted in 2006.
the application in 2009/10 was for change of house type which gave another year.
so it has past.
He did say itf the site has been started it would still be vailid, but it all seems very sketchy as to what 'started' actually means.
The site has an entrance made and the top soild cleared off and partially dug out, but thats it. They seemed very none comital as to whether that constitutes 'started' or not.
Im not sure how you would prove that that work was carried out with in the planning period either.
I probably need to get back on to the vendor just and see what they have to say.

DeeJunFan

damianmc wrote: »

i phoned the planners thereand they tell me the planning has lapsed.
2004 was outline planning, FPP was granted in 2006.
the application in 2009/10 was for change of house type which gave another year.
so it has past.
He did say itf the site has been started it would still be vailid, but it all seems very sketchy as to what 'started' actually means.
The site has an entrance made and the top soild cleared off and partially dug out, but thats it. They seemed very none comital as to whether that constitutes 'started' or not.
Im not sure how you would prove that that work was carried out with in the planning period either.
I probably need to get back on to the vendor just and see what they have to say.

Not a good sign

Generally you need to have the foundations done to constitute started work. In some cases the Footings is enough but you need to have at least that done and i would suggest it would be subfloor before id feel safe handing over money.

You would need to have receipts for blocks, concrete etc. I don't think groundwork alone will be enough.

Offer him 10 grand as its now agricultural land. You could try for planning again yourself but its a risk.