Insights
Guides and tools for architecture and planning.
Clear, practical guidance on the planning questions our clients ask most, from the latest NPPF and Biodiversity Net Gain to Paragraph 84 homes, appeals and building in sensitive landscapes, plus our interactive ecology survey calendar.
Interactive Tool
Ecology survey calendar
See when bat, great crested newt, reptile, dormouse and breeding bird surveys can be done, what is open right now, and what a closed window means for your programme.
Open the tool →Planning Update
The new NPPF: the main changes, in plain English.
The government has published a new National Planning Policy Framework, replacing the December 2024 edition. It is the biggest structural overhaul in years. Here is what has changed, and what it means if you are planning to build.
Read the update →Planning Guide
Biodiversity Net Gain explained, and what changed in August 2026.
BNG requires most new development to leave nature measurably better off. Here is what it means in practice, who has to comply after the August 2026 changes, and how the gain is actually delivered.
Read the guide →Planning Guide
Ecology survey seasons, and why timing can make or break your programme.
Bats, newts, dormice and nesting birds can only be surveyed when they are active. Reach that step at the wrong time of year, and your application can stall for the best part of a season. Here is how to plan around it.
Read the guide →Planning Guide
Trees, TPOs and tree surveys: what to check before you build.
Protected trees and hedgerows can shape a scheme, delay it, or expose you to a criminal offence. Here is what is protected, when you need a tree survey, and how it all affects your planning application.
Read the guide →Planning Guide
Paragraph 84: building an exceptional home in the countryside.
The one realistic route to a new house in open countryside, explained in plain English, and how we build a case that stands up at appeal.
Read the guide →Planning Guide
Replacing a house in the Green Belt: what the rules really allow.
You can replace a dwelling in the Green Belt, but how much bigger you can build is the real question. Here is how it works, and how to make the case for more.
Read the guide →Planning Guide
Extending your home: planning permission or permitted development?
Not every extension needs planning permission, but knowing which route applies, and where the limits sit, saves time, cost and risk.
Read the guide →Planning Guide
Refused planning permission? Why an appeal is often the beginning, not the end.
A refusal is a setback, not a full stop. Here is how appeals work, when to pursue one, and how we build cases that succeed.
Read the guide →Planning Guide
Pre-application advice: why we build our own case first.
Council pre-application services are slower and less certain than they used to be. Here is how we test a scheme properly before it goes anywhere near the council.
Read the guide →Planning Guide
Class Q barn conversions: turning an agricultural building into a home.
Permitted development can turn a redundant barn into a house without a full planning application, but the rules are strict. Here is how Class Q works, and where it trips people up.
Read the guide →Planning Guide
Building in a National Park, National Landscape or Conservation Area.
Designated landscapes are more tightly controlled, but they are not no-go zones. Here is what changes, and how a well-judged scheme still succeeds.
Read the guide →Planning Guide
Garden rooms, home offices and outbuildings: what you can build.
A garden studio or workshop is often permitted development, but not always. Here is where the limits sit, and how to get a building that genuinely works.
Read the guide →