Each and every week, I answer my subscribers' questions about property and business on my YouTube channel. If you have an urgent question you really want the answer to, please place a comment on my latest Q&A Sunday video. Next Sunday I will answer as many questions as possible, maybe yours will be among them!
This week I got a really good question about planning permission. Planning permission is one of those things that takes quite a bit of time and a lot of people ask about this topic. That’s why this week I have decided to highlight this particular question in this blog post. Hopefully, Don’s question and my answer will be of help to others that are in the process of obtaining planning permission.
Don King asked….
Samuel, why does planning permission takes so long?? And what’s the realistic time it should take?? And what could be done to speed up the process if it’s taking long or longer than expected??? Cheers.Thanks, man.
My reply….
Don King, I feel your pain brother. I really, really do. Getting planning permission can take years; it is no joke, even if it's something really simple. I'm having issues myself with several sites. I used to secure lease option agreements on properties or pieces of land, and I used to have a 12 to 18 month period of where I would tell them I'd get the planning. Now I'm saying like 24 to 36 months! It literally can take forever!
How do you speed up getting planning? Get a good planning consultant. Make sure that when you put in the application initially you put it in well, you put it in right. Make sure that you answer all their questions quickly and properly because they're going to ask you a bunch of questions about a bunch of stuff, and you need to respond well.
Initially, make sure that you are friends with the neighbours because if you get more than five people objecting in the area it will then have to go to committee and it can take longer.
But most importantly be patient; it's all part of the process. When you're putting in planning applications if the deal's right, and if you're gonna make as much profit as I'm making on my deals, you will be more than happy to sit it out and wait! Just factor in that you need to expect it to take longer than it should. The councils are slow and at the moment they are dragging on.
So I hope that helps and I really hope that you get the application accepted soon, my brother!
If you would like to see all the questions and answers from this week’s video, please check out the full video here.
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