Extending time LPA has to determine planning application

[wobbly2]

Hi all,

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to get a local planning authority to extend the 8 week determination period on a householder planning application and if it is how to go about it as I may need to modify my already modified plans.

I've put in an application on a friends bungalow. The planning assistant assigned to the application has come back to me and said that the plans are unlikely to be recommended for determination, although I could if I wish proceed as is. I had a meeting with the assistant and we agreed a modified proposal, which would be subject to her bosses approval before being presented for formal consideration.

During our meeting she told me that if a suitably modified proposal could not be achieved (between her, me and her boss) within the next week she would have to put the original proposal forward, which would probably be refused. The reason for this appears to be that she has to meet the 8 week determination period or else the LPA doesn't meet the government target. She also told me that the LPA rarely extends the 8 week determination period but went rather vague when I pressed her about it.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[GeoffJ]

I see many applications extended by my local council.
You can always withdraw the current application - this would have no prejudicial impact on any future application.

 

[wobbly2]

To say the bungalow is a friend's is not quite all true, it actually belongs to her and her siblings following the death of their father. She wants to buy them out, with their blessing, but only if she can get planning permission. Withdrawing the application then re-applying sets things back at least another 8 weeks, which seems an unreasonable delay on settling their father's estate considering it could have been settled in mid-April (subject to a successful sale to a third party).

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

When you have these inevitable last minute discussions with planning officers you should be prepared to amend them accordingly pretty darn quick (assuming you're happy with the changes). Why can't you just make the changes and submit the revised drawings so that they can consider them?

 

[wobbly2]

The planning meeting, third one, was Friday. I've made the changes to the drawings and I will email them tomorrow when I'm happy I've corrected any drawing errors. What concerns me is that the planning assistant said she will put the revised plans before her boss on Tuesday but if her boss still doesn't like the proposal I could be out of time to make any further adjustments.

 

[^woody^]

Positive Planning guidelines dictates that extensions of time can be agreed and it wont affect the council's performance stats, and in fact the council should have a local policy procedure for this very thing.

 

[wobbly2]

I've finally got a design approved by the planning assistant and his boss but its now got to go out for re-consultation, to be received by 2nd Aug for a determination on 4th Aug. I've requested a Planning Performance Agreement (?) be adopted if necessary but they have not responded to this and seem to want to stick to the original time scale. Is there anything that can be done if the LPA insist on sticking to the original 8 week determination period and the application is unlikely to be approved?