Anyone used a planning consultant for planning permission?

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We are in the final stages of designing a house with a kit house company. We have already been through “pre planning” and thereby had advice from the planning department, which we have taken onboard.

The kit house company have also recommended we engage planning consultants, which we have done, although they advised not to do anything with them yet.

The kit house company are now backtracking on some of the latest changes (addition of a garage) saying it might not get planning permission and we should just do it after the house is built instead.

Isn’t this the kind of thing the planning consultants are for? Should I be pushing to speak to them now?

If you used planning consultants, how much did they get involved, and at what stage?

Yes I'm using planning consultants now .

Thanks @hattie43 How much did they get involved, and at what stage? Do you think the scenario I have described regarding the garage is something I should involve them in?

Are the planning consultants obtaining planning permission with the design of the kit house company for you . It sounds like the kit company aren't getting planning just designing . Out of interest did you get an idea from the council originally that they'd let you build subject to them approving the kit house design ? I'm not too sure what your process is .
With mine the planning consultants will work with their in-house architect so that the PC puts the best package together to secure agreement from the council . They haven't mentioned speaking to the council first to get some kind of decision / agreement to what can be built .

Planning consultants can put in the application for a garage but normally they would put in an application for the whole build to include the garage if that's what you want , that's why I'm a little confused because it sounds like the kit company are doing the house planning but not the garage .

Yes, kit house company are just designing.

We approached the kit house company and agreed an initial design which we took through a pre-planning application with the council.

We then agreed the changes with the kit house company, who advised that they felt we would be best to engage planning consultants and got us a quote for them, but told us “not to do anything until the surveys came back”.

I’m just a bit confused as to when the planning consultants actually get involved.

It’s planning for a 5 bedroom house. The final change we made to it was to add a double garage. We hadn’t previously thought we couldn’t’t fit one in, but once the plans were fully drawn up we realised we could. However the kit house company have said they don’t think it will get planning permission with the garage.

I am confused because I don’t understand where/when the planning consultants get involved. If the kit house company don’t think it will get permission with the garage, shouldn’t they be involving the consultants rather than just saying we shouldn’t do it.

Yes I agree the kit house company should be working with planners to get the design through .
My planning consultants have been engaged since the beginning . I am looking to convert a barn and stables into a dwelling . What is pre planning with the council ?

Thanks @hattie43 . You’ve given me the confidence to give them a push. It’s difficult when you don’t know what the norm is!

Pre-planning is a paid consultation service with the council planning department. You give them the provisional plans, details of plot etc and they give you a written response as to any restrictions they are likely to put on, what you should consider in the design etc.

Not sure if it’s available everywhere, although ours states they reserve the right to reject out of hand if you haven’t taken up the service.

Good luck with your conversion! (We are in a steading conversion at the moment).

Thankyou very much ,

In your shoes I would engage a planning consultant, show him the project to date and ask him to take the whole application forward . They aren't cheap but getting the application submitted professionally prevents a lot of questions from the council planners which can delay the whole process.

You should be able to get pre-app advice from the council for a fee.

If you do engage an planning consultant, please make sure they are a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). If they are only a surveyor (RICS), that's not good enough. (No offence surveyors!)

I'd engage one now if you're almost set on a design and location.

This is what has confused me . We have engaged one, on the advice of, and by introduction from, the kit house company. But we are not yet using them (told to wait).

Time to engage them I think

Also thanks @Littlecaf that’s helpful to know. I will check.

I didn’t work with a planning consultant, but got PP for something that is out of the ordinary. I did it through very extensive research on the planning portal and presenting lots of precedents for various bits of our project, which taken together, suggested the borough should allow what we were asking for.

I fed all of it to my architects and they put together a design statement and pushed it through PP. I’ve since had a fair few local architects asking me how on earth I got PP, which makes me feel pretty good.

Why is the kit house company saying you won’t get PP for the garage? Are there precedents in your immediate neighbourhood that have been allowed (or denied) a similar garage? I’d start with that. And yes, your planning consultant should engage at this stage.

Some architects and consultants are very risk adverse - if you want to do something daring, you need to find someone who is up for a challenge. I had lots of people telling me I would never get PP.

Good luck