DIY planning application

[concernedrepurplehouse]

We have a basement flat with a bedroom with a tiny window.
its invisible to the outside world but we are in a conservation area so need planning permission to enlarge it.

i have wasted a lot of money off architects over past few years and need to tighten my belt.

is there any kind of low cost alternative to hiring an architect?

You can get a trainee architect to do plans for you which should be cheaper. Theoretically you can do them yourself if you can draw accurate engineering style drawings.

I did mine myself - Conservation Area and Listed - when I had new windows.

It helped that my neighbour had had planning permission for a major extension so I could copy a lot of their documentation, however if you go on the planning portal and read a few applications you soon get the idea of what to write and what a drawing should look like.

I got a laser measuring device and did my own drawings with a pencil and paper - TBH my measuring tape I use for sewing was used a lot more than the laser. Not convinced all my heights were totally accurate but it wasn't really the point, effectively I needed to draw one window and then a slightly larger window.

Planning were quite happy and just asked for some details of the joints used in the window, as it was Listed, which the window company supplied.

We used www.myplanningdrawings.com/ for ours.

We were quoted 1600 from an architect and they did them for us for 350

Good luck

Thanks!