Need a planning consultant in Bolton?

Planning Consultant Bolton

The strategic advice offered by planning consultants may make all the difference when it comes to getting a problematic development scheme off the ground. Their expertise and knowledge of local development policies can often clarify the best route to take to successfully obtain planning permission.

We look at how Bolton Council views town planning and development, before describing planning consultants’ role in the planning process. We then showcase some amazing schemes steered to success by planning consultants in Bolton.

Bolton Council and Development

Bolton Council plans to deliver a significant number of new homes between 2024 and 2035 to meet housing demand and development plans are being updated. To balance the need for development with environmental protection, the council is prioritising sustainable practices and the use of brownfield sites to minimise the impact on undeveloped land to ensure that growth enhances Bolton without detracting from its natural beauty and heritage. Bolton Council’s development plan for 2024 focuses on providing more affordable housing, supporting local businesses, and enhancing infrastructure. Increased tourism and population growth put pressure on local resources, so careful town planning is essential to maintain the character and appeal of Bolton.

Areas earmarked for development from 2024 include the town centre and surrounding urban areas, where regeneration projects can revitalise existing spaces. Specific areas may include former industrial sites that offer opportunities for new housing and commercial developments. The Bolton Town Centre Masterplan aims to transform this area with new homes, retail, and leisure facilities, while houses and community facilities will be built at the Rivington Chase development, a mixed-use project on a former industrial site.

Why Engage a Planning Consultancy?

The specialist input of planning consultants is often required for schemes facing specific planning issues that are proving a barrier to achieving planning permission. Planning consultants bring detailed knowledge of national and local council planning priorities. They can also ensure that a planning application complies with the legal and regulatory requirements of the planning process.

The following services are typically offered: project assessment, feasibility studies, the entire planning permission application, and negotiations with council planning officers. Consultants can also offer professional advice on a conservation area, listed buildings, and building regulations, provide environmental reports, deal with regulatory requirements, and planning appeals and some firms will provide architectural planning drawings. Bolton planning consultants work with the private sectors, property developers, and home owners on schemes including house extensions, new build projects and change of use applications.

Five Experienced Planning Consultancies in the Bolton Area

These varied schemes demonstrate the scope of planning consultants’ work and show how the right professional advice can be vital in achieving success with a planning application.

Urban Future Planning Consultancy

Based in Lancashire and operating UK-wide, Urban Future Planning offers a range of planning services and has a strong record of obtaining planning permissions for residential, commercial, and community schemes. These chartered town planning consultants are members of the Royal Town Planning Institute and offer a full range of planning services to land owners and developers.

Consultants successfully obtained a change of use consent to turn a former Methodist church dating from 1834 into a private dwelling house. This was a tricky application as the site lies in the Peak District National Park and within a Conservation Area, making it challenging to justify the change of use of a community building on planning grounds.

Plande Planning Consultants

These Royal Town Planning Institute certified chartered town planners work with private individuals, developers, architects, land owners and planning authorities across the UK. Plande offers advice on planning applications, property development and environmental issues relating to building projects and deals in the following sectors: commercial, houses, public buildings, retail, historic buildings, and conservation and agricultural.

Here the client aimed to self-build a Scandinavian-style straw bale home. Pland helped overcome issues with the height of the building and proximity to a flood-risk area. The planning application involved raising the floor level to prevent flooding, and care was taken over the design to satisfy planning officers that the building would fit comfortably in its surroundings.

MPD Built Environment Consultants

Providing planning consultancy services in the North West MPD Built Environment Consultants offer the following services: planning applications, planning appeals, enforcement issues, listed building consent, and general planning advice. Consultants are members of the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, and the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, and can help land owners and developers with residential and commercial developments.

MPD Built Environment Consultants were engaged to provide advice to a client about an outbuilding on a property he had bought that had been used as a one-bedroom annex. The client wished to rent it out but discovered it did not have planning permission to be used as living accommodation, and an application for retrospective planning permission was required. MPD advised on how non-compliance issues could be overcome and had discussions with Bury Council planners to agree to solutions to their concerns before retrospective planning permission was granted.

4D Planning

This multi-disciplinary chartered planning consultancy and architecture firm provides a one-stop shop from planning applications to construction. The team comprises planning consultants, chartered town planners, building control consultants, and architectural technicians. Their work is focused on the 10 Greater Manchester boroughs and London boroughs, working for home owners, architects, businesses, and property owners.

4D Planning oversaw the conversion of a ground-floor shop unit (class A1) into two self-contained shop units and a change of use of the first-floor retail unit (class A1) into a two-bedroom flat (class C3). The scheme involved the removal of a first-floor rear extension and the installation of roof lights to a ground-floor rear extension.

Faraday Planning

Providing a range of planning services in the Bolton Council area, Faraday Planning can advise on the whole planning process and specialises in helping home owners and property developers who have been refused planning permission. This firm of council planners turned consultants can use its insider knowledge of the local council planning system to achieve the best outcomes for clients, and is experienced in dealing with planning officers at Bolton Council.

Faraday Planning was approached by a client who had received two refusals of planning permission to extend an outbuilding at the bottom of their garden and convert it into a separate dwelling. The Council argued that creating a separate dwelling in the location would not fit the local pattern of development, but did not consider that the garden benefitted from a vehicular access onto the adjacent road. Faraday Planning evidenced this and other matters as part of their appeal, convincing the Inspector to overturn the council’s decision and grant full planning permission.

Advice with the Planning Process

If you have a development project in the Bolton Council or Greater Manchester area and require planning advice, research planning consultants with a proven track record of successfully obtaining planning permission for similar schemes.

If possible, view completed examples to see if you like the results. A firm can deal with an entire planning permission application, or be engaged for a specific matter such as compliance with building regulations. Engaging the right planning consultancy could give you the best chance of achieving success by providing a great lever with Bolton planning officers, and it may also prove cost-effective in the long run.