Ferdinand

If it is in the Approved Full PP that the windows you want are acceptable, with no relevant conditions, then it will be too late for them to impose anything. If the Heritage People have only made a comment which the Full Approved PP has not taken on board, then it will not be relevant. Unless there is a gotcha somewhere - eg there may be a condition for approval of samples etc. Ferdinand

When I did mine in January, 250wP were the cheapest. If I were going for a 4kwP installation and had no limitations on area, that could be the determining factor. However, I think that manufacture, warranty, reputation, deal etc might be equally important. I didn't go for the cheapest panels, and was given a couple of spare panels and inverters (OK - solaredges in my case) for free on asking to clinch the order - for a larger 35 panel install.. At the point you are placing the order they may oblige.Perhaps ask for one of each? Ferdinand

Thinking from my point of view, I would employ an expert to accompany me once I was sure that I was looking at a serious prospect for the purposes of: 1 - Sanity Check - am I barking up the wrong tree? 2 - Have I missed anything obvious where my expert has expertise I lack? 3 - To have experience complementary to my own. eg I know my way around my local planners, the land registry, and the rental market very well, but I do not know much about loft conversions, tanking cellars, and access design. 4 - To provide a different perspective on my ideas. It doesn't matter too much what that is, but it is important to grapple with alternatives. 5 - I would want a different perspective at a decision point which could lead to a investment of a couple of hundred k. I would explicitly not expect any liability from the expert - stated in writing if necessary. In that context, and expecting the viewing to take perhaps 90 minutes, I would be willing to pay perhaps £50-70 up to £150+, which is a small price to pay for an informal insurance policy on a 6 figure spend, depending on: 1 - The expert concerned (eg an Architectural Technician or Chartered Surveyer). 2 - What I got back - just the viewing, follow up emails, a short memo report or a conversation over a gourmet lunch. If I had done more than about 3 or 4 of these and none had gone forward, I would look to hone my own "project selection" skills. Thoughts welcome. Ferdinand

I'm not sure that this is the right forum, but I think it might be a useful spin off comversation from my other posting . If you were taking an expert adviser with you to a second or third viewing of a house or potential house, how much would you be willing to pay - in your terms, and what would you expect?

I need a recommendation for an architect or architectural technician to advise me on projects, and I wonder if anyone knows someone within a realistic distance of Mansfield. My need is for someone to: 1 - Look with me at projects eg second viewings of houses where I think there is an opportunity or I am interested. Projects will be mainly domestic. 2 - Suggest ideas and come up with initial plans. 3 - If a scheme is of interest, draw up plans. 4 - Potentially to take things through PP and supervise the project/build/conversion. 5 - Be interesting to debate with over lunch. I expect to be looking at a series of projects over a number of years, which will depend on what comes up. I'm keen on energy saving and the things we talk about here, but not dogmatic, so I think (OTOHICBW) I need a pragmatist who is likely to be either: a - An experienced person who has been round the block several times, and is therefore somewhat flexible. b - A less experienced person who is not yet set in their ways. I don't need a Planning Guru etc, as I have some knowledge myself and know lots of specialists having spent a rather large amount of money on reports for my recent project. If anyone can mention names please PM me rather than post here. Thanks Ferdinand

You need a *lot* of trees to deliver a significant quantity of wood chippings. When I took down 25 20 year old beeches, once the main bit of each 6-8" trunk had gone for firewood, I got enough chippings to cover an area about 4mx4m only. Ferdinand

I just asked at the counter :-) . With Gift cards you do need to do your homework, because there are sometimes limitations etc. I think that they are really an application in search of a reason to exist. There used to be fee-free gift cards and some people round tripped them - buy card, get points, pay into an account (classically Amazon) or recycle via ebay to the tune of hundreds of cards a year. Employee discounts are good if you have access. Ferdinand

I am naturally quite risk averse in particular fields - I don't, for example, do heights without a lot of precautions. 99% of the time it would all be fine, but it only takes once and that's it. Ferdinand

In my dreams I hope you shot the Inspector ... slapstick style.

Agree there. In my case with the DG I will try and get them to pay me the deposit back, then pay the full amount via a CC to make sure I am covered. Ferdinand

A thought occurred (ding!). I have just gone for double glazing for a (rented) house, and paid my deposit through my agent to the DG company. I should actually have paid direct via Credit or Charge Card, because I then have section 75 (ie joint liability of the card provider) protection, which gives me comeback against both the DG company and the CC provider. Analogy for self-build: if I am buying materials direct, rather than through the Builder / Contractor, then I have that extra protection for faults with whatever I have bought, rather than just potential claims against a small builder who may go bust. I do *not* have that protection if I have paid with BACS or FastPay, but payment by Debit Card provides some protection but less than a Credit Card. Ferdinand

(shameless but ethical attention seeking) Would they do a podcast interview with someone about Buildhub? (/shameless but ethical attention seeking) Ferdinand

On complaining about Councils, it is a long process that will probably take a year or more in toto. There's an analogy with PP, in that you have to go through the local process first before complaining to the regulatory body. The formal process is something like - complaining to Customer Services Section, then to Head of the relevant Service, then to the Ombudsman. They will probably (never done it) want you to have discussed it with the Planning Officer, and manager of the Officer first. Each Council has its own process (though there will be a template somewhere), which can be accessed via gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-your-council There *is* provision for compensation at national level in some form, but I don't know if it covers eg consequential loss. It might be tempting to try the Small Claims Court if it is a clear cut case, but I have *no* idea if that has ever worked. There are other routes, such as your MP etc. I would say spend your legal / complaints budget on expert planning advice for your second submission, so that you cover as many angles as possible. There are some ideas about selecting a Planning Consultants or advisers on the thread linked below. You need a proven successful record for cases very like yours, and intimate knowledge of your local council. You also need to know their role and your role, to have a very careful brief, knowledge of what your total budget for the process will be to each stage, probably a cap on the Consultant's time / budget, and I'd use a fixed price success fee on top. For your own use it may also help to write down what circumstances will make you consider walking away to avoid "Dog and Bone" syndrome. You can get free advice from the Planning Aid service of the Royal Town Planning Institute, but make yoruself aware of teh types of questions they can answer. http://www.rtpi.org.uk/planning-aid/ Ferdinand

I think we should note for the protection of casual visitors that Peter W is a trained Tree Surgeon, and that these machines can have your leg or arm off very quickly if you feed stuff in badly eg if you get your hand wedged in a branch by mistake, or even if your shirt cuff or glove, gets hooked. They are relentless and can run at one or two feet per second, so you have a few seconds to get free from a moving snag while being dragged off your feet before it is bye bye. That is, 5 seconds for a 10ft branch, or 3 seconds for a person. Requires training to the same degree as a 1m chainsaw imo. This is one of those areas - like moving big but small-looking chunks of rock around or cutting branches off trees which are heavier than they look, where it is possible to get into a situation that could cause far more serious injuries than the casual operator might expect. A mid-sized branch falling badly can break your pelvis, this can make parts of you into a pizza topping. Ferdinand

+1. One strategy that might work.

And a big welcome.

There is a 2% chance I may be off beam here if my assumptions are wrong, but... The PINS don't decide Planning Applications; they rule on the validity Planning Decisions taken (or not taken in time) by LPAs by applying Planning Law, Precedent, Policy and Practice. My initial reaction is that someone has misdirected you in telling you that you can go to Appeal with an amended scheme, which has not been considered by the Council. It can happen but is truly exceptional. It looks to me that your Appeal has been rejected when the Planning Inspector ran into the first impact of your decision to try and appeal using an amended scheme, which should have gone to the Council and been rejected first before being eligible for Appeal. Surely by definition you cannot Appeal a decision which has not been allowed to be made? Unless you meet the conditions for an exception to the rule, which in my opinion would have required expert planning advice. Whether that can be done is governed by something called the Wheatcroft Principle. See Section 3.1 and Appendix M of this document: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/544036/Procedural_Guide_Planning_appeals_v8_0.pdf And this for an example of how Planning Consultants think they can use (= usually exploit / manipulate) it to get an Appeal by making just enough changes: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/544036/Procedural_Guide_Planning_appeals_v8_0.pdf IMO, not having followed normal procedure, your potential claim is likely to be against whoever advised you to Appeal with an altered scheme. Unless it was a valid exception to the normal process. Of course, you could use your free resubmission (timescale limit?) as a way to get a new Appeal, but if you do not have the expertise yoruself, get some advice if you have not already done so. A new Planning App refused would be a new Appeal and a new Case. My sympathy, but you probably tried to use the process in an inappropriate way. Ferdinand

+1 or you may find a Lecky who is happy to do the live wire thing. I don't see why it needs multiple Building Notices, but I do not know that system. Why can't you just put it all on a single one? Once it is submitted you have iirc 3 years to do the work. One way to proceed with the electrics (full rewire) would be to pay an electrician to do some of the work, with oh doing part (eg running wires but not connecting up), then having the Certification as part of the Lecky's package. Given that you are doing lots of other stuff, it may work, and rewiring a house like yours is only a few (perhaps 3-4 minus the work you do), so may be an attractive option.

I suppose one also could grow the Trees while waiting for the Planning Permission, or stage an armed robbery at the Morgan factory.

The people with the statistics will be TRADA or the Timber Trades Federation, or possibly a Government Department, or the Research bit of the Forestry Commission or the right college/uni, or perhaps the Scottish Government.TRADA are unlikely to give you free information; TRADA is very commercial - you will get warm fuzzy replies, but they know the value of scarce information. Though I see their members' magazine is available as a download: http://www.trada.co.uk/membership/downloads The TTF journal is called the Timber Trades Journal, and their may be some information therein. Ask your local BM or Timber Merchant if they have a copy. Or there ,may be something on their website if you excavate it. I would expect a seasonal variation, but I have no idea on the pattern. If you can get a hold of a copy of the TRADA Yearbook that might help. One other route *might* be to ask a technical person from your Timber Frame or other supplier (if you have one and they are in TRADA) if they know anythniog or can find information; obviously you won't get data about cladding prices from a cladding supplier. I would also expect prices to stabilise after BREXIT, but it will take some time. Perhaps a local tree and a chap with a porta-mill is your answer, like a less hardcore, outsourced, version of @recoveringacademic ? There may be the right kind of tree lying around somewhere in a treeman's yard or in the corner of a local estate etc. Has anyone here sourced their own cladding from the continent and gone to fetch it with a trailer while on holiday? Or put a classified ad on Arbtalk? One secondary degree indicator I noted was that the Church Commissioners have moved significantly further into Timber investments in 2015, which suggests they detect long term value. They are superb strategic investors with an outlook over up to 50 years or more. Annual Report linked from here: https://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2016/05/church-commissioners-announce-total-2015-return-on-investments-at-82.aspx Ferdinand

I think the important points are probably: 1 - Consider your strategy carefully in advance; there are a lot of options. 2 - Local knowledge of your Planning Department is important. 3 - If skinning a cat, you will only get so many chances - and to try so many different ways before the cat notices. 4 - Take advice if you need it. 5 - Once out there, information cannot be brought back in ... so take care what and when you tell anyone. 6 - Consider keeping exploratory things verbal - much Planning Information, such as your correspondence, can be Freedom of Information requested. Not sure where the limits are. Ferdinand

Cheers

Also, BH member @Calvinmiddle: 1 - Lost a Planning App at Appeal. 2 - Applied for a Lawful Dev Certificate for a workshop etc. Approved. 3 - Applied for a bungalow on the same plan and form as the workshop. Won this on Appeal for non-Determination (ie Council missed deadline). 4 - Then he reapplied for something of a bigger area and got that too. This is what he is building. There's more than that to it, but it was one way of spiking some categories of objection at each stage. You may need help and an intimate knowledge of your Council policy. See: http://www.ebuild.co.uk/blog/20/entry-185-part-2-the-planning-saga-episode-1/ http://www.ebuild.co.uk/blog/20/entry-186-part-3-the-planning-saga-episode-2/ Ferdinand (Reminds me Calvin, I don't think I followed up our previous chat - will try to remember as it will only take a minute).

I will just comment that you need to take care in what order you do things. If you remove (or possibly sufficiently remove) what is there already, then you may find that you are suddenly treated as a blank site. eg If that were to happen somewhere where PP would not normally be granted then the development opportunity may have been lost. I know that is not your circs, but the same type of event can occur. Perhaps if you remove a shed, then have your PD rights taken away as part of your application, you will struggle to replace the shed. I think that our user @Construction Channelis doing some creatively extensive alterations under Permitted Development, though that is in an agricultural situation. He may have some interesting things to say. Ferdinand

Here I have good experiences of BCOs and OK experiences of Planners. We still have a "Duty Planner" and they are quite willing to answer reasonable questions if it can be a brief conversation. @Nikc - what is the "sub 5k" package, please? Projects under £5k budget (eg putting a lintel in a widened doorway)?