How A Planning Consultant WILL Add Value To Your Property Business And Development

The Property Nomads Podcast

As party of their fascinating mini-series which focusses on successful people in property, Rob meets with John Benson of Benson Planning Studios to discuss the role of the Planning Consultant in property investment. Tune in to learn how utilising the invaluable resource can help you to add value to your development, as well as saving you time and money.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Planning is constantly evolving and changing. Architects are often thought of as the main port-of-call for those in search of planning advice, but in actual fact, most architect’s knowledge of the most up-to-date planning rules can be quite basic.
• In John’s opinion, planning consultants are not needed for general planning enquiries, such as household extensions or garages. But for more complicated matters, mainly in the investor’s field as more expert advice is required.
• A lot of the properties that investors are buying are longstanding HMO’s that have never had planning permission.
• John believes in the importance of meeting with clients at the beginning in order to fully understand their wants and hopes for their particular property. During this meeting, John will disclose if their expectations are realistic based upon his extensive planning knowledge; information that can then be fed down to the client’s architect so that his work can accurately reflect the latest planning regulations.
• In certain council plans, there will be sites that are allocated for housing. Those sites will have been assessed already by the council’s planning policy department, so if you are purchasing a site that they refer to as an “allocated site”, then it’s virtually certain that you will be able to build housing there.
• John admits that there are some councils that are pre-disposed to being negative on the idea of granting planning to investors. But equally, there are councils that are extremely open-minded about development. Again, this is a crucial area in which a planning consultant can help and add value to clients in terms of proactive advice.
• Greenbelt sites are notoriously expensive and difficult to obtain planning for, so John advises looking instead at brown-field sites: places that have previously been developed.
• Often, local authority officers don’t look at planning and building from a commercial perspective, which prevents houses from being built. They see a policy and a plan and don’t use their intuition or agency to judge an individual request upon its own merits.
• If planning is rejected, you can go back to the council and negotiate to see if the issues can be overcome. There’s also an appeals process, which will necessitate an assessment stating the aims of the project, along with the proposed benefits to the community.

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘Planning consultancy is quite 'niche' - there’s not a lot of us’
• ‘The planning consultant can be the voice of reason’
• ‘It’s important to understand what a client wants from a building or piece of land’
• ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’
• ‘I was probably a square peg in a round hole because I understood the commercial aspects and economic aspects of a development’
• ‘Some local authorities are twenty years out of date’
• ‘If you build a good rapport with planners and planning departments, planning shouldn’t be difficult’
• ‘We need development. We need thriving towns’
• ‘Property is a people business’

VALUABLE RESOURCES
The Property Nomads Podcast

Benson Planning Studio

ABOUT THE GUEST
John Benson is the owner of Benson Planning Studio (BPS), a Planning Consultant based in central Hull, East Yorkshire and serving Beverley, Scarborough, York, Leeds, Grimsby, Lincoln and beyond.
BPS provides professional, town planning advice and services to clients within all sectors of the development industry including the general public.
We have delivered on residential, commercial, educational, healthcare, retail, industrial and conservation projects. We are subject to a strict professional code of conduct that ensures you receive impartial and reliable advice.
Our testimonials speak for themselves and you can be confident that you are in professional hands.
We draw upon extensive private and public sector experience to ensure that your project is effectively managed and steered appropriately through the planning system to deliver your goals within realistic timescales
Reach John on www.http://bensonplanningstudio.co.uk
Or contact him directly on LinkedIN at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-benson-3a412799/.

ABOUT THE HOST
Rob Smallbone and Matt McSherry, the hosts of The Property Nomads Podcast, are on a global mission to guide your success. Success can happen in many ways, shapes and forms. Think about what success means to you. More properties? More clients? Financial freedom? Time freedom?

Rob & Matt are just two guys who want to make a huge difference to people around the world. They are here to guide your success in property, business and life and to inspire you to achieve your goals, dreams and visions. They’ve travelled, explored, and invested. And they’re not planning on stopping these activities anytime soon.

Buckle up, sit tight and enjoy the ride that is life.

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