Regular readers of our published articles will know that one of our key specialisms is planning and development work. Our work in this area spans planning applications, enforcement cases where there have been breaches of development control, certificates of lawfulness and planning appeals. Our associated work in this field includes Section 106 agreements and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) reviews and appeals.
We cover the whole of the south west and further afield and our success rate across our planning applications and appeals is high with an overall success rate of 90%. Given that we take on difficult cases where other agents have failed to secure a consent and act for clients when the Local Planning Authority (LPA) has already taken enforcement action, we are proud of this track record which reflects the thorough and strategic approach that we take to make the best possible case for our clients.
To meet the ongoing demand from our regular and new clients, we are looking to recruit a full-time rural planning specialist to work from our Tiverton office. Although we are a firm of chartered surveyors, given the specialist nature of what we do the position would suit both a qualified member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors looking to specialise in this area of work or an associate or member of the Royal Town Planning Institute with an interest in rural planning. The job is advertised on our website and we would encourage any readers who may be interested in having a discussion to get in touch.
In our last article, we discussed how the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is a material consideration that LPAs must take into account in planning decisions. We are already finding it helpful in making the case for applications that were under preparation before it took effect on 17 August 2026. In some cases, particularly where the LPA does not have an up-to-date local plan, the revised policy framework is helping to strengthen the planning case for development proposals and improve the prospects of securing a favourable outcome.
