frequently asked questions

Yes this is part of our staged service. See our process for further detail.

Yes we can take over from this point.

Pre-applications are an opportunity to understand how your project will be received by the planning officer prior to the formal submission. It is always advisable when you are proposing schemes which are pushing the boundaries of design, or schemes which conflict with planning policy. See our advice article for further detail.

Yes members of the public will not be notified.

This is the million dollar question! This is based on many different factors and every project is different. In some cases we can let you know the likelihood of approval during our initial enquiry meeting, some sites will require a feasibility study.

This is dependent on if a pre-application will be submitted and this is dependent on the local authorities workload. However we generally advise that on a sensitive site requiring a pre-application you should plan for planning to be approved within 12 months of our appointment.

From the point of submitting the application the statutory decision period is 8-12weeks. With a 1-2 week validation period however the validation period varies between local authorities and is based on their current workload. You can therefore expect a decision within 10-14 weeks of submitting.

Yes. Initial advice is provided at our enquiry meeting and we offer a feasibility study service for a detailed assessment. Please refer to our process.

Yes. We offer a feasibility study service. Please refer to our process.

We manage all correspondence with the planning department which begins at pre-application stage through to the formal decision. ZMA submit the application on your behalf acting as the agent and we are the point of contact between yourself and the planning officer. We ensure the application has been validated and submit any further requests, we monitor any comments by consultees and members of the public online, whilst responding to any planning-related comments as they occur. We have an open dialogue with the planning officer throughout the decision period to ensure any concerns are addressed. We make any requested changes without delay and issue to the officer within 48 hours to ensure the planning process will not be delayed. If your application is decided at committee, we will speak on your behalf.

No. ZMA provide all your planning consultancy needs which includes the supporting planning statement, acting as your planning consultant and agent, managing the planning process, the submission and liaising with the planning officer throughout the planning process.

This is dependant on your site, what you are trying to achieve and the local authority. However please see our advice article.

We have worked with over 20 different local authorities predominantly across Lancashire with a number being much further afield. Whilst all local authorities have their own local policies, Planning policy begins at national level where policies have the same guiding principles across the UK. Even if you work with the same local authority you can’t guarantee you will have the same planning officer every time. Therefore the way we manage the planning process is the same regardless of wether we have worked with the local authority before or even with a specific officer. It’s about constant communication, regular monitoring, reacting quickly to requests, and treating the officer with respect as they ultimately make the decision if your project is approved.

96% approval rate for 122 planning applications as of September 2023. 80% of all projects are within sensitive sites (AONB, green belt, open countryside, conservation areas, or listed buildings).

There are 2 ways your planning application would be decided by committee rather than by the planning officer (delegated powers).

1. The application is called-in by a councillor.

2. The application received over a specific number of objections or comments (this varies between local authority).

We would be aware of this during the application period and register to speak on your behalf.

When your application is registered and validated a public list is visible online, the planning application and all submitted documents are also visible online and available to download by members of the public. Neighbouring properties will be contacted via letter to register their comments, a site notice will be positioned adjacent to the site to notify any members of the public, any landowners who own any part of the application will be notified, your ward councillor, and relevant statutory consultees such as highways, tree and environment officers, united utilities, heritage, public rights of way, ecologists etc.

If an application receives objections it doesn’t automatically mean it will be refused. Any objections are reviewed and discussed with the planning officer – if any are planning-related objections and can be addressed, they are addressed with either further explanation, amendments to the scheme, or further justification to explain it is not the case. The planning officer will then confirm if they have been satisfactorily addressed and therefore would not be a reason for refusal.

Refusal is the last resort for a scheme, we only reach the point of refusal if there was no merit in revising the scheme to achieve support and knowing the scheme would always ultimately be decided at appeal. If your application is refused you can submit an appeal of the decision within 6 months of the decision date.

No. We only act as planning consultant on ZMA projects.

The appeal submission is free of charge however the cost would vary depending on the appeal type. Typically the scale of scheme we work on would only warrant the written appeal procedure which would only incur the cost associated with managing and submitting the submission and producing the statement of case document.