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Services

  • Planning Appraisals and Development Advice
  • Planning Applications
  • Applications for Listed Building Consent
  • Reserved Matters Applications
  • S106 Legal Agreements
  • Lawful Development Certificates
  • Commercial Development
  • Advertisement Consent
  • Discharge of Conditions
  • Third Party Representation
  • Development Plan Representations
  • Planning Appeals
  • Enforcement Appeals
  • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
  • Community Engagement
  • Expert Witness
  • Masterplanning and Urban Design

Cassidy + Ashton is highly experienced in providing Planning Appraisals and Development Advice for a wide range of developments.

Our planning appraisals provide considerations and recommendations in order to advise how to best prepare for the planning process in the most economical way.

Our advice also includes recommending any associated or supporting reports required to help strengthen a planning application.

We will always ensure that we take a thorough and conscientious A+ approach to our appraisals, whatever the scale of the planning and development project.

Cassidy + Ashton has extensive experience in the preparation of all types of Planning Applications for a variety of development types.

We can project manage your planning application from start to finish, pulling together all of the necessary disciplines and can lead all negotiations with local authorities and other interested parties.

Our aim is to present planning applications in an A+ manner, working with local planning authorities where possible to achieve both a high standard of development and a commercially beneficial outcome for our clients.

Cassidy + Ashton has in-depth knowledge and experience in applying for Listed Building Consent.

Our comprehensive heritage assessments address the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework and Historic England in order to ensure that the level and depth of assessment is sufficient for a robust decision to be made.

Cassidy + Ashton works positively with planning officers, conservation officers and, where required, Historic England, to ensure that any proposals have the greatest prospect of A+ success.

It is not always simply a case of providing detailed plans for the local planning authority to consider within an initial application.

Reserved Matters Applications include aspects of a proposed development which may not be included of at the outset of a planning application, and are ‘reserved’ for later consideration.

These ‘reserved’ aspects include: access to and in the development site; plans for landscaping; the outside appearance, layout and scale of the proposed buildings.

Often there are other issues to address such as the discharge of certain conditions prior to submitting reserved matters, or the need to vary the original outline planning permission to maximise the commercial benefits of development.

Cassidy + Ashton can advise on the most appropriate route to take regarding the inclusion and exclusion of certain aspects as each stage of planning. We will ensure that sufficient time is allowed and decisions are made at the appropriate time to maintain an A+ active planning process and that development can proceed in a timely manner.

Planning permission often requires the use of a Section 106 (S106) Legal Agreement or obligation to ensure certain actions take place to allow the development to proceed.

This may relate to a number of factors such as the development’s impact on the local area’s infrastucture, a greater demand on local school places, an increase on local road and pedestrian traffic. It is therefore essential that S016 agreements are tightly negotiated to ensure they are fair and reasonable to the development proposed.

Cassidy + Ashton can advise and prepare the S106 agreements on behalf of developers, working with the local planning authority in negotiations to agree the measures the developer must take to reduce its impact on the community.

Offering an A+ service our team aims to ensure that every S106 agreement takes full account of viability and that no development is straddled with unreasonable requirements.

A Lawful Development Certificate (LDC) is recommended for particular planning applications to ensure that the existing use of a building is lawful for planning purposes or whether your planning proposal may in fact not require further planning permission.

An LCD is not compulsory, but there may be times when it is required to confirm that the use, operation or activity named in the certificate is lawful for planning purposes.

The process and issues involved in applying for, and obtaining, an LDC can be complex. Cassidy + Ashton can advise you if an LDC is required as part of your planning applications and what information is needed to support the application.

Commercial Development has long been a core service for Cassidy + Ashton.

Our planning team offers an A+ commercial development service and can advise and assist commercial developers at every stage of planning from initial site appraisal, right up to implementation of planning permissions.

Advertisement Consent may be required to display any advertisement or commercial signage larger than 0.3 square metres on the exterior of buildings, or on your premises or outside your property. This consent is necessary for both domestic or commercial premises.

Preparing planning applications and gaining consent for large, professional adverts and signs for businesses is complex. Cassidy + Ashton can prepare applications and liaise with planning authorities on your behalf.

The Discharge of Planning Conditions is necessary where a condition in a planning permission or a listed building consent requires details of a specified aspect of the development to be approved by the local planning authority before the development begins.

Cassidy + Ashton can deal with seeking approval for all conditions, from submitting building samples and formal applications to final discharge.

Our planning team is very experienced with the process and will ensure that all requirements are discharged in an efficient manner to ensure that the building development is not delayed.

Cassidy + Ashton’s planning team can submit representations on behalf of third parties objecting to a planning application. Our team can identify the relevant planning considerations relating to your concerns.

We will then work on your behalf to present the objections to the local authority for consideration during the determination of a planning application or, to the planning inspectorate if it goes to appeal.

Our Third Party Representation services include:

  • Advising Parish Councils, community groups and other third parties
  • Preparing and editing objection letters
  • Preparing appeal statements
  • Attending hearings and public inquiries
  • Instruction of counsel

Alternatively, as your planning consultant, and on your behalf, Cassidy + Ashton can attend committee meetings and present to local council members and deal with any objections to your planning application.

Despite that building and development projects are intended to be a plan-led system, it is important to ensure that the interests and proposals of developers are represented at all times throughout the development plan process.

Cassidy + Ashton can keep clients up to date with the development plan process, advising on when representations should be made and can submit evidence and justification at appropriate times on behalf of the client.

Our A+ Development Plan Representation services include strategic policy and land allocation.

Cassidy + Ashton makes every effort to achieve consent without resorting to Planning Appeals but on occasions it is unavoidable.

If it is necessary to pursue this avenue, we are very experienced in all forms of Planning Appeals, delivering A+ results.

Our planning team will analyse the reasons for refusal of planning permission and provide advice, in the first instance, whether an appeal is the most appropriate route forward or whether a revised submission would provide a greater prospect of success.

If we do proceed to an appeal, we will advise on the most appropriate route and put together the strongest team to defend the client’s position and work with experienced barristers if a public inquiry is required.

Our Planning Appeals service includes:

  • Advising on routes to the most satisfactory outcome
  • Preparing written representations
  • Attending hearings and public inquiries
  • Instruction of counsel

If a local authority has taken enforcement action, it is essential not to waste time in putting together an Enforcement Appeal.

Cassidy + Ashton can advise on the most effective route to take and on all the relevant grounds of appeal that may be applicable to your case.

In conjunction with preparing your appeal, we will also work with the local authority to see if a suitably agreed alternative approach can be reached to avoid the cost and delay of working through the appeal process.

Acting as the lead consultant on development projects that require Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Cassidy + Ashton co-ordinates the work of the technical team, acting as the main point of contact for the client and ensuring that Environmental Statements are prepared to a high standard, are legally robust and consistent in their approach.

Where development projects do not require an EIA but still sit above the thresholds set out in the EIA Regulations, it is essential for developers to obtain a screening opinion from the local planning authority.

Cassidy + Ashton can prepare a screening report that clearly sets out the reasons why a development does not require EIA.

This allows the planning authority to provide an evidence-based screening opinion and ensures that any subsequent planning permission is not challengeable at a later date on procedural grounds.

Cassidy + Ashton recognises the value of Community Engagement as part of the planning process for any building development.

Our town planners have extensive experience in creating bespoke strategies to engage with the public and key stakeholders in line with legislation.

Our Community Engagement services include:

  • Engagement and liaison with community groups, stakeholders, influencers and key decision makers
  • Consultation forums both on and off line
  • Co-ordination and hosting of public exhibitions and presentations
  • Preparation of questionnaires
  • Presentation of results review and response to feedback in line with the Localism Act 2011
  • Statement of community involvement

Cassidy + Ashton’s Town Planning team is experienced in acting as Expert Witnesses and is often called upon to provide a professional opinion on a particular issue pertaining to town planning.

We are familiar with all legal protocol and the team is trained to achieve the best possible outcome for clients.

Our service involves working closely with legal professionals to assist in the satisfactory resolution of planning related disputes. Cassidy + Ashton has experienced consultants who frequently work alongside local solicitors and understand what is required from a town planner’s perspective in providing information as part of an Expert Witness service.

Our Expert Witness service includes the following:

  • Initial opinion on technical issues and/or strengths of arguments
  • Advice on professional and planning matters
  • Preliminary advice in the selection of other experts
  • Preparation of robust and professional reports
  • Appearance at court or public inquiry as required.

To balancing creative thinking with practical deliverable solutions, Cassidy + Ashton bases its planning and design work for clients by first considering and assessing any particular constraints and opportunities a site presents.

Working alongside our architectural team our town planning team’s Masterplanning and Urban Design services include:

  • Initial sketch appraisal
  • Indicative masterplans
  • Development framework
  • Site layouts

Related Work

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