Planning, Architecture and Development Services

PLANNING, ARCHITECTURE & DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

WHY GFW?

Richard Garland Managing Partner

Our dedicated development property team are specialists in their field. We apply expert knowledge to clients’ briefs in an intelligent way to deliver outstanding results.

Whether applying our expertise to a feasibility appraisal, a planning application, a set of architectural drawings or selling your site, our approach is to first understand what our clients require, defining the brief to deliver best value.

We then use our multidisciplinary, collaborative approach, attention to detail and tenacious negotiation to deliver real results. Our ability to consider the whole picture in house is something which sets us apart from the competition. Our honesty and integrity is universal.

Our approach has delivered real results across all types of development property; ranging from residential and commercial development land and self-build projects to specialist properties such as listed buildings, care homes, education, health care and community buildings.

Our client base ranges from self-builders through to large corporate clients, portfolio owners and charities.

Our Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) qualified and experienced team have the knowledge and expertise to offer a full range of services to the development sector.

PLANNING

Local Plan Promotion

Our expertise comes from an understanding of what the council need to allocate your land, alongside what developers want to know to deliver best value. Few can claim our level of knowledge of both sides but we see it as essential for development sites to fulfil their true potential.

Often starting with a Strategic Land Appraisal, we will establish which elements of your land have the greatest potential. We then set a unique promotion strategy to meet your budget and the site’s potential.

Many clients wish to submit early representations to Councils’ ‘Call for Sites’ or ‘SHLAA’ opportunities. Others wish to go right through the process as far as Public Enquiry (EIP). We offer a bespoke, holistic service including all planning representations, architectural masterplanning, development feasibility and valuation and selling or negotiating the land under option or planning promotion agreements.

Our strategic planning services include:

▪ Strategic Housing Land Availabilty Assessments (SHLAA)

▪ Call for Sites Representations

▪ Green Belt Reviews and Appraisals

▪ Local Plan Representation at all stages

▪ Examination in Public Appearance

▪ Employment Land Reviews and Commercial Land Promotion

▪ Local Plan Viability Reviews

▪ Site Master Planning

From individual sites to strategic masterplanning our team are able to provide a comprehensive and professional service

PLANNING

Planning Applications and Appeals

Good planning consultancy is about more than policy. There is always an angle. We pride ourselves in finding it and pursuing it relentlessly.

Expertise in planning policy and how the system operates should be a given for any planning consultant. On top of that, we define solutions and apply confident, robust negotiation and human intelligence. We never stop chasing until the result is over the line. As a result, we spot angles not seen by others and achieve consistent results.

As part of our planning and appeals consultancy, we offer:

▪ Planning Applications

▪ Major Applications

▪ Pre-Application Advice

▪ Change of Use and Conversions

▪ Permitted Development and Class Q Conversions

▪ Written Representation Appeals

▪ Hearings and Public Inquiries

▪ Development Feasibility Studies

Specialist Planning Consultancy

Often the best route to getting what you want is to not submit a planning application. Our intimate knowledge of the planning system allows us to use it to your advantage.

Whether faced with an enforcement situation, using a lawful development certificate to prove the legitimacy of a development, or producing affordable housing viability appraisals, we gather all the facts before defining the strategy to suit you and presenting the situation in the best light.

Our specialist planning services include:

▪ Lawful Development Certificates – existing or proposed developments

▪ Defending Enforcement Action and Enforcement Notices

▪ Affordable Housing Viability Appraisals

▪ s106 Variations

▪ CIL Negotiations

▪ Permitted Development Assessment and Prior Notification

ARCHITECTURE

Our architectural team bring a wealth of expertise and experience to every project. Good design needs to deliver what the client wants out of a building. We take time understanding that at the start of the project, collecting your ideas, stress testing them and producing something which exceeds the brief.

Whether masterplanning for a strategic development site for many hundreds of houses or producing detailed designs for a one off bespoke forever home, our attention to detail sets us apart from others.

Project managing the delivery of buildings is a key part of our work, ensuring the attention to detail and value added turns plans in to reality.

Our approach is to bring architects, planning consultants and development surveyors all under one roof, providing a collaborative, comprehensive and professional services for the benefit of our clients

ARCHITECTURE

Using a team of RIBA architects (including conservation architects) and technologists, we bring the right skill to every stage of every job. Seamless integration of design with our planning and development disciplines makes the process as smooth and seamless as possible.

Our architectural services include:

▪ RIBA Stages of work from 0-7

▪ Concept and Feasibility Sketches

▪ Planning Drawings

▪ Building Regulations Drawings and Applications

▪ Tender Specification and Pricing

▪ Contract Administration and Project Management

▪ 3D and Video Visualisation

▪ Accredited Conservation Architecture

DEVELOPMENT

Our team of development surveyors are true specialists. We live and breathe development property from feasibility to completion.

We thrive on the complexity that others fear, using our confident understanding to deliver the best value to clients’ projects.

Our reputation comes from coupling an attention to detail with a robust negotiating style. Using our experience, we will tailor a bespoke strategy to suit your property, budget and attitude to risk.

DEVELOPMENT

Our development services cover a range of specialisms as follows:

▪ Option Agreements & Planning Promotion Agreements

We specialise in matching the type of agreement to the circumstances. Our detailed understanding of development agreements and market knowledge allows us to get the very best deal for your land, matching your attitude to risk with the available opportunities.

▪ Development Site Sales

Selling your development site for the best value is about more than accepting an offer. We apply a detailed approach to the whole process, with honesty and an unrelenting drive towards successful completion being the key to delivery.

▪ Site Finding

Finding the right site is often the most difficult part of a development project. using our network and up to date technology, we identify the sites that others never knew existed.

▪ Development Valuation

Whether it is a Red Book valuation for secured lending or initial feasibility, we understand the importance of reliability in development valuations. Building valuations on a robust understanding of the relevant facotrs and solid market evidence is key to our approach.

▪ Development Viability Appraisals & Affordable Housing Assessments

Where high costs mean development viability is called into question, we can help. Our track record of success in viability appraisals for planning applications, demonstrates the potential for reduced affordable housing and s106 contributions in unlocking developments, leading to profit and land values at an appropriate level.

▪ Restrictive Covenant Assessment and Negotiation

We are genuine experts in restrictive covenants, providing advice with a solid legal basis in an often misunderstood area. Marrying detailed understanding to robust negotiation has delivered real results in some landmark precedent legal cases, forged from our valuation advice.

▪ Building Surveying

Our full spectrum Building Surveying service ranges from pre-purchase surveys and condition surveys of existing buildings, through to project management. We are about quality, not volume so your building will receive a thorough treatment through a service tailored to your needs.

▪ Capital Tax Allowances

The tax tail should not wag the dog. However, so often capital allowance reclaims are the difference that make a successful project. Our in house team of Capital Allowances specialists go into the project detail to get you the maximum reclaim available.

▪ Compensation for Electricity Apparatus

If your project is blighted by Electricity Apparatus, we can secure you full and proper compensation for loss in value arising. With a significant track record of successful claims against National Grid and Local Network Operators, you can be sure we will get you appropriate compensation.

▪ Expert Witness Work

Our credibility as experts comes from our experience and attention to detail. From an expert opinion of market value of a development under an option agreement to appearing in the High Court, we have the credibility to provide accurate, robust expert evidence of all types.

▪ Dispute Resolution & Independent Expert Determination

Option Agreements often need Market Value to be determined and differences of opinion can be significant. We have a team of qualified and experienced Independent Expert Determiners and Arbitrators, helping to resolve your dispute in the appropriate manner.

▪ Mines and Minerals Reservations

We understand the technical position on mines and minerals inside out. As a result, we have achieved settlements on mines and minerals reservations which have delivered thousands of houses, saving clients significant amounts of money in the process.

V ALUE / ACRE (£’000’000)

Allocation within Adopted Local Plan

Outline

Planning

Permission

Indentification in Draft Local Plan SHLAA Agricultural Value

RECENT PROJECTS

GFW’s Development of Planners, Architects and Development Surveyors cover the north of England, Yorkshire and beyond. Our team is both knowledgeable and experienced at dealing with development opportunities from single self-build plots to major bulk development. These are some examples of recent examples:

North Shields, North Tyneside

Existing planning consent for 35 units unviable due to high development costs

Viability Appraisal produced by GFW Development team

Affordable housing and s106 contributions significantly reduced Client saved hundreds of thousands of pounds and development able to proceed

North Shields, North Tyneside

▪ Review of restrictive covenants preventing development

▪ Valuation under Law of Property Act 1925 showing true value of covenant compensation

▪ Settlement with covenant holder saving client hundreds of thousands of pounts and allowing development to proceed

Expert Determination, North Yorkshire

▪ Acting as Expert Witness in dispute over Market Value through option agreement

▪ Instruction to provide opinion of value in line with dispute resolution provisions

▪ Expert determination issued in excess of 240% of offer amount preceding dispute resolution

These are some examples of successful sales achieved through the GFW Planning, Architecture and Development team:

Willington, County Durham

▪ Sale to Berkeley DeVeer

▪ 200 dwelling scheme

▪ Planning secured by GFW

▪ Site layout by GFW architectural team

Rainton, Yorkshire

▪ Sale to DH Land Ltd

▪ Five dwelling scheme

▪ New build and conversion scheme

▪ Planning secured by GFW

▪ Architect drawings of conversion scheme prepared by GFW

Killingworth, North Tyneside

▪ Sale to Avant Homes

▪ 200 dwelling scheme

▪ Planning secured by GFW - taking from Green Belt through to grant of planning permisson

▪ Successful defence of Judicial Review

Ryton, Gatehead

▪ Two dwelling scheme

▪ Planning secured by GFW

▪ Architect’s drawings designed by GFW

▪ Sale to two self-build buyers

OUR OFFICES AND TEAM

Click or scan the adjacent QR code to see our full range of development services and information on our development team

Alnwick

Newcastle

Bedale

Durham Bar nard Castle

Hexham