Consultancy

Before making a planning or Scheduled Monument Consent application, we can provide independent advice on the nature of your proposal and its likely acceptability. We can advise you on what you may need to provide as part of a planning submission, what stages of assessment or consultation might be required to achieve a planning determination and how to discharge relevant planning conditions.

The starting point for many development projects is the gathering and assessing of existing historic environment information. Before putting a spade in the ground, there is a wealth of information to be found in historic maps and documents, aerial photographs, a site inspection, satellite imagery and locally-held Historic Environment Records which can document how our modern landscape has developed and where it may contain heritage significance which could be altered or revealed by development.  We can  undertake this for you and produce the appropriate report for your needs.

If heritage issues are a consideration, the planning authority may require more than a desk-based assessment prior to determination. Additional information may be required, for example by a geophysical survey or site evaluation. Such activities will normally require the approval of a method statement (or project design) ahead of implementation. Similarly, a planning consent may impose conditions on the applicant that require further investigations, again as part of an approved method statement, commonly known as a 'written scheme of investigation'. We can assist with the appointment of specialist sub-contractors and the provision of appropriate method statements.

Sometimes things don't go to plan and planning applications are refused on heritage grounds. We can appraise the reasons for refusal and offer advice on possible appeal issues. Peter Cox has represented clients at numerous planning appeals, as an expert witness and by the preparation of proofs of evidence for written representation or round-table hearings.  Projects to date have included windfarms, solar farms, single house and multiple housing developments, and travelling showpeople sites.  Many appeals involving refusal on historic environment issues tend to relate to issues of 'setting' - a matter we have extensive experience of dealing with.  

How do we value heritage assets? Well, we all have our personal favourites - Coventry or Salisbury Cathedral? Stonehenge or a Listed Tudor building? Historic England provide advice on how to assess significance by reference to key heritage values. These attributes are important to understand because current planning regulations require effects on significance to be the key determinant in whether a planning proposal is acceptable. We can provide Statements of Significance and Heritage Impacts Assessments.

Current and recent projects are located in:

• Gloucestershire
• Wookey, Somerset
• Ashill, Somerset
• Sparkford, Somerset
• Guildford, Surrey
• Honiton, Devon
• Killingholme, North Lincolnshire
• Lingfield, Surrey
• Gillingham, Dorset
• West Lulworth, Dorset
• Isle of Portland, Dorset
• Meopham, Kent