Author Topic: Planning Consultant; recommendations? (Read 3685 times)

wildgeese · « **on:** June 27, 2011, 09:55:45 pm »

Time to grasp the nettle and start the battle to get a house on my holding. I feel I REALLY need a good Planning Consultant to help me decide what route to take through the options and to talk to the Planners for me (as trying to do it myself does nothing for my blood pressure).

I would think others on here have been through this already; so can anyone recommend a Planning Consultant who has a good success rate with rural businesses and smallholdings? I am in Scotland.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #1 on:** June 28, 2011, 02:21:06 am »

Might be worth a chat with Chapter 7, they may be able to help or recommend someone more local to you.

I don't know if they have specific knowledge of Scottish planning - but they'll soon tell you if they do or not.

http://www.tlio.org.uk/chapter7

shetlandpaul · « **Reply #2 on:** June 28, 2011, 07:52:32 am »

are you in the crofting counties and is it a croft. if so chat with the commision.

robert waddell · « **Reply #3 on:** June 28, 2011, 08:15:04 am »

by all means get a consultant on board be prepared to spend 2 to 5 thousand pounds and before you engage them get there track record
i should remember where you are but cant can you post your location as it is relevent to your sauces your location size of holding what you are intending as a business are all relevent

doganjo · « **Reply #4 on:** June 28, 2011, 09:21:37 am »

I have sent you an email with details

wildgeese · « **Reply #5 on:** June 28, 2011, 11:01:41 am »

Thankyou everyone.

I'm in Tayside so not in the crofting counties.

The holding is 6 and a half acres, some of which is steep; we have won an SRDP grant to help with planting walnuts, chestnuts and orchard and the hillside is being cleared piecemeal ready to begin planting this autumn. An important part of the business plan includes free range hens on a small scale and we already keep geese, though I need to rethink and upgrade my stock; we're also thinking soft fruit, vegetables and flowers, certainly until the trees grow up. One complication is that I have (for over 20 years) kept horses on this site and these are not, of course, viewed as agricultural, yet I don't want to be forced to go out of them completely; they are what I know best and they are potentially important financially but they certainly queer the pitch and if retained, make this a business application for housing rather than a purely agricultural application. I'd like to find a Planning Consultant who understands this and can steer me through it.

How do I discover a consultant's track record? Its difficult to go to the council and say "Please can you tell me who won the last planning battle against you in my area" Is the best way just to go through the planning register (sure I've seen it online somewhere).

I shall contact Chapter 7.

doganjo, I'm eager for your information but I can't find your email; is it coming via the forum? My own email address is oldmarketgarden@live.com

Thanks again for all replies.

robert waddell · « **Reply #6 on:** June 28, 2011, 11:31:28 am »

pink architects based in armadale w lothian or search pink they used to work with w lothian planning
once you get planning you are setting the precedent for others
any planning consultant will willingly give you details of the track record if not tell them to f off it is your money
you could be lucky you may not they could tie you to a section 50 which is not the end of the world if you want a house and not just a means to start and be a developer

wildgeese · « **Reply #7 on:** June 28, 2011, 01:18:31 pm »

Thanks! will follow up that lead. I wouldn't mind a section 50 as long as it allows me to diversify within the business as something so small has to be inventive and flexible to survive amongst the big boys. Yes, as ever the problem is mostly to convince the planners that the land isn't just being used as an excuse for a house. Its nice to be able to say this on here knowing that everyone will understand, but without the land and the smallholding aspect, for me the house would be a bit pointless.

doganjo · « **Reply #8 on:** June 28, 2011, 03:03:38 pm »

Quote from: wildgeese on June 28, 2011, 11:01:41 am

doganjo, I'm eager for your information but I can't find your email; is it coming via the forum? My own email address is oldmarketgarden@live.com

Thanks again for all replies.

That's the address I sent it to from Opera, it may not have got through so have re-sent it from Outlook.

wildgeese · « **Reply #9 on:** June 28, 2011, 06:03:48 pm »

Thanks, doganjo; I have found it; livemail diverted it into the spam folder and I found both your emails there along with a lot of other things that shouldn't be! I really should have thought of that; sorry!