BUBuckinghamshire · Unitary authority
Planning and architectural services in Buckinghamshire
Planning permission and planning applications, with architectural design, Building Regulations drawings and structural support for projects across Buckinghamshire, from our office in Slough.
- Authority
- Buckinghamshire Council
- Focus
- Planning / Design / Technical
- Office
- Slough
- Scope
- Residential / Commercial
01Planning permission
Planning permission in Buckinghamshire. Start with the route.
Whether a project needs planning permission depends on what is proposed, the property and where it is. The answer shapes everything that follows, so it is worth settling first.
Some work can go ahead under permitted development rights, a general permission granted nationally. Those rights can be more limited on designated land, and in Buckinghamshire that question matters: the council publishes specific guidance on building in the Chilterns, and parts of the county are Green Belt.
Where planning permission is needed, the type of application matters too. An extension to a house, a change of use and a new dwelling each follow a different route, with different information required.
What can shape the planning route
- P.01Whether the work falls within permitted development
- P.02The Chilterns National Landscape
- P.03Green Belt land
- P.04Listed buildings or conservation areas
- P.05The property’s planning history
- P.06Whether the building is a house, a flat or commercial premises
Establishing the right route for the specific property is usually the first step, before detailed drawings are prepared.
Check your project02Planning applications
Planning applications. Complete from the start.
We prepare and submit the application. Buckinghamshire Council decides it.
Buckinghamshire Council accepts applications through the national Planning Portal and publishes a Local Validation List setting out the plans, forms and supporting documents each application type needs. After submission, the council checks the application is complete and correct; if anything is missing, it must be put right before the application can proceed.
SA Associates prepares the drawings and supporting documents, submits the application and deals with queries while it is being assessed. We are an independent practice, not part of or affiliated with Buckinghamshire Council. The council decides the application, and planning permission cannot be guaranteed.
03Application information
What an application may include.
- DR
Drawings
Location and site plans, and existing and proposed plans and elevations.
SA Associates
- FM
Forms
The correct application type, completed for the proposal.
SA Associates
- SD
Supporting documents
The statements and assessments the Local Validation List requires for the application.
SA Associates, with specialist input where required
- VA
Validation
The council’s check that the application is complete before it is assessed.
Buckinghamshire Council
- DE
Decision
Assessment of the proposal against planning policy.
Buckinghamshire Council
04Local Plan and authority
The policy context. Buckinghamshire Council.
Buckinghamshire Council came into being on 1 April 2020, bringing together the former county council and the district councils of Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe. It inherited the local plans of those former districts, and those plans are still used to make planning decisions in each former district area.
The council is preparing a single new Local Plan for Buckinghamshire, which has reached its final (Regulation 19) consultation stage ahead of independent examination. Until it is adopted, applications are assessed against the existing plans for the area concerned, so which former district a property sits in still matters.
05Building Regulations
Building control in Buckinghamshire. A separate approval.
Planning permission and Building Regulations approval are separate. A project without a planning application may still need Building Regulations approval, and planning permission does not cover the technical standard of the work.
The council’s building control guidance says a full plans application is used for new buildings, extensions and alterations other than small single-storey domestic extensions, extensive internal structural alterations and loft conversions. Unapproved work can be put right through a regularisation certificate, but not for work completed before 11 November 1985.
We prepare Building Regulations drawings and full plans information from the agreed design, coordinated with structural calculations, for assessment by the building control body. We do not issue approvals or carry out inspections.
- Building Regulations drawings
- Council guidance: full plans applications · regularisation
06Design and structure
Behind every application. Design and engineering.
Architectural design
In sensitive settings, the design carries much of the planning case. We develop layouts and proposals from the existing site and your brief, with the relevant policies and landscape context considered as the design takes shape.
Structural engineering
New homes, extensions, loft conversions and structural alterations often need structural design. Our civil and structural engineers prepare the structural design and calculations alongside the architectural and Building Regulations drawings.
07Planning appeals
If permission is refused. Review the options.
A refusal is not always the end. Depending on the reasons given, a revised application or an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate may be an option. We can review the decision with you and discuss the route that fits; the outcome of an appeal rests with the Inspector.
08Residential / Commercial
Homes and premises. Different planning questions.
01
Homes
Extensions, loft conversions, alterations, replacement dwellings and new homes, where landscape and Green Belt policy may apply.
- Extensions and alterations
- Replacement dwellings
- New homes
02
Commercial premises
Alterations, change of use and development proposals for commercial buildings and sites.
- Alterations to premises
- Change of use
- Development proposals
09Services
One practice. Each stage covered.
Architectural Design
Design proposals and drawings that form the basis of the application.
Planning Applications
Drawings, supporting documents and submission to Buckinghamshire Council.
Building Regulations
Full plans drawings and technical information for building control.
Structural Engineering
Structural design and calculations for new homes, extensions and alterations.
Feasibility Studies
An early look at what a site could accommodate, including landscape and Green Belt constraints.
Planning Appeals
Review of a refusal and support if an appeal is pursued.
Lease Plans
Land Registry compliant lease and title plans where premises or flats are let or sold.
10Areas in Buckinghamshire
Across the county. One planning authority.
We work on projects in towns and villages across Buckinghamshire, all within Buckinghamshire Council’s planning area. See all the areas we cover.
- Amersham
- Aylesbury
- Beaconsfield
- Buckingham
- Burnham
- Chalfont St Peter
- Chesham
- Farnham Royal
- Gerrards Cross
- Great Missenden
- High Wycombe
- Iver
- Marlow
- Princes Risborough
- Wendover
11Why SA Associates
Established in 1999. Planning and technical in-house.
SA Associates has worked on residential and commercial projects since 1999, from its office in Slough. Planning, architectural design, Building Regulations and structural engineering are coordinated within one practice.
Sikandar Ali BA (Hons) Architecture, MCIOB, our Principal Consultant, is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Building. About the practice · How we work with new clients
12Project Brief
Planning a project in Buckinghamshire?
Tell us the property address, what you would like to do and anything you know about the site, such as previous applications or decisions.
If the property is in the Chilterns or the Green Belt, mention it. Those are among the first planning questions we will look at.
- Phone
- 01753 709 770
- Mobile
- 07748 716 893
- info@sa.associates
- Office
- Regus House, 268 Bath Road, Slough SL1 4DX