2 Work Stage 2: Concept Design

2

Work Stage 2: Fixing the design for a planning application

Concept Design 3-6 months

At this point it is important for the professional specialists to start talking to the Planning Authority (perhaps through a pre-application enquiry) about what you have in mind to build, to get advice and respond to suggestions and comments from the Authority about what it will and will not accept. This part of the process will lead to what we call a project fix – that is, what we all agree is going to be built, subject to planning permission being granted. Everyone agrees this as the fix so that no major changes are allowed beyond this point. Scheme Design We will develop a scheme design based upon the preferred option and produce a suite of drawings for review. These will usually be outline scaled drawings for the floor layout, site layout, elevations (looking side on), structure and services. We also generate 3D views to help form an understanding of the proposals.

Feedback Your feedback is essential at this stage to ensure that we are providing a building that meets your needs. Church members and building project team Often it is the church members who will be raising funds to finance the building project and it is essential that the church is united in a shared vision. To help communicate

the process of a project we are able to present the proposals to the church membership at each relevant stage if you request this. We would then discuss this scheme with the building project team and either agree to it, amend it, or produce further thoughts until we have reached an approved scheme to take forward to the next stage. Cost Plan At this stage, we can provide a more detailed cost estimate, based on previous work that we have been involved with, to help you plan a budget for the project. Alternatively, a cost plan can be prepared by a Quantity Surveyor, who will measure quantities of materials and give an approximate cost. This independent service is not within our fee. It is essential that you consider the whole financial viability of the project at an early stage. Please also allow for VAT, which is generally applicable on all alterations.