Planning Permission Architects in Cheshire
Applications prepared, submitted and seen through to determination, across Cheshire and the North West.
Planning Permission Architects for Householder and Development Applications
Refusals are rarely a surprise to the person reading the decision notice. The problem was usually visible at design stage: a scheme drawn to what the client wanted rather than what policy allowed, an application submitted without a conversation with the officer who would determine it, or supporting documents that did not address the objection everyone could see coming.
We prepare and submit planning applications across Cheshire and the North West, for homeowners, self-builders and developers. Applications are drawn to what policy allows and what officers will accept, so problems get resolved before submission rather than argued after refusal.
James Hough prepares every application personally. The person who designed the scheme is the person answering the planning officer.
What Our Planning Permission Architects Do
Site Appraisal and Policy Review
What the site allows before anything is drawn. Local plan allocation, constraints, precedent nearby, and whether the scheme you have in mind is realistic. A straight answer here saves the cost of a full design that was never going to succeed.
Pre-Application Advice
Where it saves time, we use the council’s pre-application service to get the officer’s view before the design is fixed. It adds time at the start and usually saves more than it costs, particularly on constrained sites.
Planning Drawings and Supporting Documents
Existing and proposed plans, elevations, sections and site plans drawn to the standard the authority requires, alongside the design and access statement or heritage statement the application needs.
Submission and Officer Liaison
We prepare and lodge the application, handle officer queries, respond to consultee comments and address neighbour objections through to determination.
Conditions and Discharge
Consent is rarely the end of it. We discharge the planning conditions attached to the permission so the project can start on site without delay.
Applications We Prepare and Submit
Householder applications
Extensions, alterations, outbuildings and anything affecting a single dwelling within its curtilage.
Full planning applications
New dwellings, replacement dwellings and multi-unit schemes.
Listed building consent
A separate permission from planning, required for work affecting a listed building’s character. Handled together with the planning application where both are needed.
Change of use and prior approval
Barns, former commercial premises and agricultural buildings brought into residential use, whether through full application or the permitted development route.
Recent Projects Through Planning
Schemes taken through planning across Cheshire and the North West.
Jodrell Bank Cottages, Holmes Chapel
Norcroft Cottage, Middlewich
Chester Road, Winsford
Choosing an Architect to Handle Your Planning Application
Planning is a local business. The same scheme can succeed in one authority and fail in the next, because policy is interpreted by people who read their own local plan every day and have a view on what belongs in their area. Knowing that before the application goes in is worth more than arguing it afterwards, and an appeal costs months whatever the outcome.
James Hough founded Hough Architecture in 2015. It is a RIBA Chartered practice, accountable to the institute and carrying full professional indemnity insurance, and is also registered with the ARB and The Green Register. Most of the practice’s applications go through Cheshire East, where a high success rate comes from resolving problems before submission rather than arguing them after refusal. Hough Architecture Ltd is registered in England and Wales, company number 09893582.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
Where We Submit Planning Applications
Sandbach is our base and Cheshire East is the authority we know best. We also submit regularly to Cheshire West and Chester, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Derbyshire, the Wirral and the Peak District National Park.
Areas we cover:
- Sandbach
- Alderley Edge
- Altrincham
- Bowdon
- Chester
- Hale
- Knutsford
- Holmes Chapel and Goostrey
- Prestbury
- Northwich
- Sandiway and Cuddington
- Manchester
- Wilmslow
- Congleton
- Tarporley
- Chelford
- Disley and New Mills
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does planning permission take?
The statutory determination period is eight weeks from validation for a householder or minor application, and thirteen weeks for a major one. Constrained sites, consultee responses and neighbour objections can extend it. Validation itself can add a week or two if the authority queries the submission.
What drawings do I need for a planning application?
Existing and proposed plans, elevations and sections, a site plan and a location plan, all to a recognised scale. Most applications also need a design and access statement, and heritage, tree or drainage information depending on the site.
Is pre-application advice worth paying for?
Usually, on anything other than a straightforward extension. It gives you the officer's view before the design is fixed, which is far cheaper than discovering their objection at determination. On constrained or sensitive sites we would almost always recommend it.
What happens if my application is refused?
There are three routes: amend and resubmit, which is free within twelve months of the original decision, appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, or accept the refusal. Which makes sense depends on the reasons given. We review the decision notice and give a straight view before you commit to any of them.
How much does it cost to get planning permission?
Two separate costs: the local authority fee, currently £548 for a householder application including the Planning Portal charge, and the architect's fee for preparing the application. See our architect fees page for a stage-by-stage breakdown.
Find Out If Your Project Will Get Consent
Before you commit to a full design, talk to James about whether the scheme is realistic on your site. No obligation, and you will get a straight answer on whether it is viable.