Our Services

  • Contour can provide straightforward advice on the development potential of land and buildings, including identifying the planning constraints and opportunities affecting a site, how they can be addressed and what planning process is best to pursue to optimise the value of land and buildings.

  • Contour can provide a thorough assessment of the planning history and position of a site, including taking a look at past permissions (including any restrictive conditions and/or S.106 legal agreements) and the planning constraints affecting a site.

  • The prospects of achieving planning permission on large complex sites can improve if they are ‘allocated’ for development in a Council’s Development Plan. To help clients with this, Contour can promote sites or land through due process, which involves identifying land as being suitable for a certain use or development. This can include attending and presenting evidence at development plan hearing sessions.

  • Contour can prepare a detailed submission to the Council (Local Planning Authority) to present the planning merits of a development proposal prior to the formal planning application stage. This process helps clients understand whether the principle of a proposal is supported prior to time and money being spent on the preparation of a planning application submission. It also ensures that issues are raised at an early stage of the process, enabling the design to be revised and other professional consultants’ advice sought to maximise the planning prospects once a planning application is submitted for determination.

  • Contour can advise on and organise an applicable level of pre-application public consultation on larger more complex schemes requiring this stage. This can include organising consultation websites, leaflet drops and attending public consultation exhibitions/events where the planning merits of a scheme can be discussed with local stakeholders. Contour can also prepare the Statement of Community Involvement that would need to be submitted to the Local Planning Authority explaining the pre-application consultation undertaken and the outcomes.

  • Contour can prepare simple through to complex planning applications. This includes the coordination and management of sub-consultants, consistency checking between reports/assessments, preparation of application forms and ownership certificates, submission of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) forms (if applicable) and Heads of Terms for legal agreements. Contour can also write a number of the technical reports including Planning Statements, Design & Access Statements, Heritage Impact Statements, Retail Impact and Sequential Assessments, Housing Needs Assessments and Employment Land Assessments.

  • This document presents the planning case for a proposed development, testing it against pertinent planning policies and other material considerations. In its early sections it describes the site and its context, identifies pertinent planning history and summaries the proposed development. It also identifies the key national and local planning policies against which the development will be assessed and then provides a full justification for the development and a demonstration of how the proposal would meet the key policies previously identified. This document also summarises the findings of supporting technical reports and provides a summary in the form of an assessment of ‘planning balance’.

  • This document provides more detail than the Planning Statement in terms of the proposed design of the development. This includes a demonstration of scheme evolution the scale and nature of the proposal, how it is accessed, as well as the design ethos. Contour generally work in partnership with an architect to prepare this document, thereby ensuring it fully reflects the design approach and architectural vision, whilst including an assessment of how the proposal addresses key design and access policies contained within pertinent development plan documents.

  • Contour can undertake Retail Impact Assessments (RIA) which is a requirement for a certain scale of new retail floorspace. This can be achieved either through a more generic assessment or a more detailed RIA. The latter builds a retail model identifying the prevailing market share of existing retailers, the likely trade draw of the proposal and then the likely alterations to the market share of retailers and existing centres following the opening of the retail development proposed. This is undertaken in order to demonstrate the likely impact that the proposed development would have on protected centres.

    Contour can also provide Sequential Assessments which demonstrate that there are no other sequentially preferable sites that could accommodate the proposed development.

  • Contour can provide an assessment of likely impacts of a proposal on heritage assets (listed buildings, conservation areas etc). Where specialist technical input is required, Contour works in partnership with a specialist heritage consultant.

  • As chartered members of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), Contour’s Directors can provide direct professional access to barristers, including preparation of instructions to Counsel on planning related matters.

  • Contour’s Directors are experienced in giving evidence at planning inquiries and have been cross examined by some very tough KCs.

We manage the planning process from the initial concept of a proposal, right through to its completion.

  • Contour can provide an assessment of the housing needs of a specific location and a demonstration that a development proposal would meet this need. This includes assessment of unit numbers, dwelling size and mix, together with the nature of tenancy/ownership.

  • Contour can provide an assessment of employment land supply and demand within a specific area, and a demonstration that a proposal would either not demonstrably affect the overall employment land supply (if employment sites were to be lost through development) or that the proposal would meet an identified need (if an employment development is being promoted).

  • Contour can advise whether a development proposal benefits from permitted development rights and if so, whether Prior Approval would be required. Contour can also prepare applications for Prior Approval which often need to be supported by documents which demonstrate that a proposal would not impact upon matters such as residential amenity, flood risk, traffic and that they provide sufficient internal daylight.

  • Contour can provide fully evidenced applications to demonstrate that a proposal is lawful by virtue of either being an established lawful use/development or through a demonstration that the proposed use/development would be lawful. Contour can also provide advice on the use of this approach and likelihood of success prior to applications being progressed.

  • Contour can prepare and submit considered applications for works to a listed building. This is usually supported by a Heritage Statement.

  • Contour can provide advice on whether a proposed change of use requires planning permission (i.e. is a material change of use) or whether the use (of either land or buildings) can be undertaken under permitted development rights. If planning permission is required, Contour can prepare an application to demonstrate that the use would be acceptable in planning policy terms and would not result in any demonstrable impacts.

  • Contour can provide advice on whether proposed signage requires Advertisement Consent. If consent is required, Contour can prepare the necessary application.

  • Contour can prepare and submit timely applications for the variation and/or discharge of pre-commencement, pre-occupation and other details required by conditions.

  • Contour can prepare and submit applications that seek a Non-Material Amendment to an existing planning permission.

  • Contour can prepare and submit appeals against planning refusal, non-determination of a planning application, unacceptable planning conditions and on enforcement matters. This can include preparing detailed statements of case for appeals that are pursued through the written representation, informal hearing or public inquiry routes.

  • In the unfortunate event that enforcement action has been threatened, is pending or has been taken then Contour can assist in providing advice on the best way forward.

Architect Drawing
Model of a development
Scaffolding on a building site

Our strength is our commercial approach and our ability to provide clients with sound planning advice, based on realistic and intelligent solutions. In addition to regularly submitting planning applications, we help our clients unlock the development potential of their existing property assets (through due diligence), as well as using our planning skills to help to identify new development opportunities.

We have advised on a wide variety of planning matters, including residential, retail, commercial and mixed-use developments.

Our residential experience ranges from securing planning permission for large volume housing and flatted schemes, through Prior Approvals for ‘office to residential’ conversions (under permitted development rights), to smaller residential developments and self-builds. We also have significant experience in promoting retirement living schemes.

Our retail planning experience includes large mixed-use developments for some of the UK’s largest developers, in both town centre and out of centre locations. This work has ranged in size from single small retail units (including changes of use), to large retail developments in excess of 100,000 sq. ft. For these projects we have in-house expertise to prepare complex Retail Impact Assessments and Sequential Assessments.

Our Directors are also skilled speakers, who have presented papers at professional conferences, addressed Planning Committees and are regularly involved in public consultation exercises.

Whilst we are professional, we are also approachable!  We love a challenge and are always happy to assist with commercial planning matters.