The planning process need not be stressful provided the correct amount of guidance is provided. CPA Design assures a professional service without suppressing individual design concepts, we are here to realise your ideas and requirements.

The first stage is preferably an on-site meeting for an informal walk around, discussing any and all points to ensure your intentions are completely understood. A sketch will either be completed on-site or sent shortly afterwards to illustrate for the first time, your design. It's at this point we discuss any components that may cause an issue with your planning application, prior to formal drawings being prepared. Most applications are straightforward and provided you appreciate how the new structure will impact the street scene or context of your site, there will be few issues.

Once a design has been agreed in principle and we have been formally appointed, a full measured survey is carried out and from this information the existing floor plans and elevations are created. These serve as a base to draft the proposals and if the client prefers, visualisations can be created so as to grasp the concept in a virtual space. This provides the opportunity to make minor revisions should there be a change of heart pre-construction and avoid spiralling costs once works have begun on-site.

An important note: We have over 20 years experience submitting applications to multiple Borough Councils including Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Malling, as well as many within inner and outer London. During 2015-2021 we have observed a noticeable rise in application delays as a direct result of Planning Department funding and staffing issues. The planning system was once open to dialogue, whether the proposal was large or small in nature; it appears now that the opportunity for discussion is only reserved for the larger schemes - those that permit Councils to achieve internal New Dwelling targets. For this reason we must make potential clients aware of these unavoidable delays, a Householder application that should receive determination within 8 weeks, can on occasion take up to 24 weeks. This is wholly unacceptable and severely disrupts the construction industry, we as Planning Agents can only pass on feedback to the relevant Councils and hope that improvements are made as soon as financially possible.