Pre-application advisory is used where a client, architect or planning consultant needs building-focused technical input before a planning application is developed or submitted.
Our role is to assess what is technically achievable, identify the constraints that may affect the scheme, and support the wider consultant team with practical commentary on compliance, construction and building risk.
We do not replace the architect or planning consultant. Instead, we provide the technical layer behind the submission so design and planning decisions are grounded in the realities of the existing building, likely interventions and regulatory expectations.
The service is particularly useful where a proposal needs early technical scrutiny before time and cost are committed to a full planning route, or where the consultant team wants stronger technical backing for pre-application discussions.
The scope depends on the building and the proposed works, but pre-application advisory is typically structured around early-stage feasibility, technical constraints and coordinated consultant input.
Assessment of the existing building, likely limitations and whether the proposed extension, conversion or reconfiguration is technically realistic.
Early advice on likely building regulations implications including fire safety, accessibility, thermal performance, acoustic separation and structural considerations.
Technical constraints reporting for use within pre-application discussions, planning support documents and wider consultant team coordination.
We begin by understanding the proposal, the building and the planning strategy already being developed. From there, we focus on the technical matters most likely to influence viability, planning feedback and downstream project risk.
The aim is to make the architect and planning consultant's job easier, not compete with it. We provide clear building-focused commentary that can be fed into the submission and then carried forward into later design, procurement and delivery stages if the scheme proceeds.
When a building is understood properly at pre-application stage, the project team is less likely to discover avoidable technical problems after planning momentum has already built. That reduces the risk of redesign, abortive consultant work and unrealistic client assumptions.
It also means the same technical baseline can carry forward into later surveys, design development and project delivery, creating continuity from early advisory work through to contract administration and construction oversight.
For acquisition-led review where the immediate question is broader building risk, condition exposure and capital liability.
View ServiceFor defect-focused investigation where the proposal depends on understanding specific failures, deterioration or moisture-related issues.
View ServiceFor projects moving beyond planning support into design coordination, procurement and live delivery oversight.
View ServiceNo. The planning application itself would normally be led by the architect or planning consultant. Our role is to provide the technical building advice and supporting commentary that strengthens that submission.
Yes. This service is often most effective when we work alongside the architect and planning consultant so technical issues are identified early and the submission reflects realistic building constraints.
No. It can be valuable for single-property schemes, listed building alterations, residential conversions, extensions and other projects where early technical clarity may influence the planning route or viability.
Typical issues include structural feasibility, likely fire safety implications, heritage constraints, buildability concerns, suitability of the existing building and the extent of further surveys or consultant input needed before detailed design.