Mr and Mrs L wanted to convert a barn on their farm into a house. The council wanted to impose restrictions on who could occupy the new house and on Mr and Mrs A's ability to dispose of it separately from the main dwelling. We advised them on the conditions required by the council and negotiated less restrictive terms which meant that Mr and Mrs A could rent the new house out on an assured shorthold tenancy. This made the conversion viable.
Mr D wanted to enlarge his modest house. He planned a dormer loft conversion as well as an extension. The council had a policy of not granting permission for dormers. We advised him how to get round this problem by doing the work in two stages so that the dormer work was covered by permitted development rights and so didn't need to be included in the planning application. As a result he was able to make the alterations he needed.
Mr and Mrs A had a very large garden. They had tried to get planning permission to build 5 houses on part of it but had been turned down. We advised them in connection with their appeal including drafting a Planning Obligation providing for contributions to infrastructure- schools, libraries, public transport - to make the application more acceptable, and as a result they got their permission and significantly enhanced the value of their property.