Digger comes Monday whooo hoo!

[CalvinHobbes]

So the 2 cottages are stripped ready to get the heave ho as hard core on the drive. There are about 5 tree roots to dig up too (Fir, pear,2 apple and a sneaky sycamore). Trenches to be dug and a slope at front to factor in.

Question: when clearing site - what do you not have to clear? Is it everything above ground must go but fences/exterior walls onto perimeter are ok? What about steps going down to the road between the cottages?

Edited January 13, 2023 by CalvinHobbes

[CalvinHobbes]

It will be marked out on Wednesday.

[Gus Potter]

Have not looked back at all your posts Calvin..

 

But here is a trump card that can flummox the planners..

 

That is HSE and safety. Clearing the site.. well to do that you need safe access to build. If you start to dig out tree stumps.. could compromise safe entry for plant and machinery.. or you may want to not demolish all of an existing house.. say bungalow gobbling as you may want to use part of the old founds structure to provide temporary bracing.

 

Talk to your SE.. we have ways and means of showing how in the interests of HSE that the safest way is not to "totally" clear the site" as the existing "cottages" may be part of the whole design stategy and the most environmental approach.

 

Some planners / BC think they have god like powers.. but hit them on the low carbon etc (often their weak spots) and make it clear to them that you expect a reasoned response.. they back off. Part of the reason is that you play their game against them and say here is our evidence.. back up your argument and we know it is not in the regs so lets have a proper technical discussion.. they often back off.

 

In other words.. you can leave stuff above the ground if you can show that it is either part of; the temporary works, essential for HSE or part of the recycling waste treatment train .. the environmental stuff really causes them problems in pratical terms. You basically say.. if you want to be diffcult we too can rack up your office hours... that is the tactic the big developers use.. they know where to target the councils and know where they are weak on resourse.. no friends in the desert.

 

To keep yourself covered just write to them and say.. we will comply with our planning consent.. but we also need to comply with the HSE regs so if we don't hear from you other wise we are carting on. 

 

 

[saveasteading]

46 minutes ago, CalvinHobbes said:

what do you not have to clear?

I don't really understand the question.

 

The planners expect you to do what you have shown in the application.

BCO wants to see the new building built properly.

 

If you think it is sensitive, don't put it on here as it is public, but PM to me, Gus or whoever.

 

[CalvinHobbes]

Sorry, primarily I just wanted to know can you keep steps in the garden? If it's dicey - they will go and frankly be replaced. They lead to a little gate which is in the approved plans.  The tree stumps aren't a worry because of their position. The fir is on the perimeter at a point which will eventually form an entrance but not initially and the fruits are to the sides. The sycamore was small but it understandably annoyed a neighbour too so it's got to go. The cottages must go because they have dry rot.

[Gus Potter]

5 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

f you think it is sensitive, don't put it on here as it is public, but PM to me, Gus or whoever.

That is good advice. Plenty other folk on BH to PM too. Peter, one of the Mods is a serious expert for example on the English planning system.. there are many others to.. Peter love your stuff but you have equals on BH, not me though as I have more of an SE type bent.

 

The funny thing is that balance.. what do you post on BH to get the best advice vs privacy.

 

I'm sure there are a few planners lurking on BH, a lot will be just folk like the rest of us.. keen to build their own house and learning all about how you do it. I have had folk (not many) that are in the BC/ Planning world come to me and say.. would you do my calcs Gus.. and give me some info on local builders and what I need to do to make it work. They are just like a lot of us that are in the trade..ish. We know how parts of the building world work but not all.

 

I think that the really anal planners are probaby not going to be on BH. You would have to be very unlucky if they just looked up your post.

 

This thing about posting and worrying that the planners may be monitoring..  if you have a good case then they will read it and think... hey I'm on the wrong side of the argument here.. the applicant is on BH and getting advice from folk that will probably run rings round me.. maybe not a hill to die on in my day job as a planner? If you can make the case on BH then maybe your application will fly?

 

If you can pass the test that the pro's on BH set you.. then the formal planning should be a scoooosh?

 

Yes I know that folk worry about social media but BH is a serious forum.. If your argument flies here with all the experience that BH folk have then it evens the odds / maybe tips the odds in your favour when dealing with planning and BC?

 

If you look at BH and the time it has been running.. it is a vast knowledge base.. the councils IT systems and referencing system just can't cope with it.  A good few councils subscribe to the IHS data base.. but that costs plenty.. BH is wide ranging and has a huge base.. folk just starting out just say doing up a first flat to seasoned self builders and pro's that make a living in the construction industry.

 

In terms of BH.. it is still a non commercial site.. they day it stops being that.. I'll leave. I dabbled a bit with the Farming Forum.. but it was not for me. The great thing is that I still believe that the experience you get on BH is as close to the real world as you can probably find these days.

 

Oh @CalvinHobbes sorry.. have gone a bit of a rant.

 

 

 

 

[Gus Potter]

10 minutes ago, CalvinHobbes said:

Sorry, primarily I just wanted to know can you keep steps in the garden? If it's dicey

My post overlapped with yours.

 

Hopefully others from BH can catch my drift and use it to their advantage.

 

Have not looked back on your other posts but things like steps and garden levels should not be a big issue.. unless you are in a conservation area.

 

Just leave them (the steps)  be and see if you get a come back.. gut feeling probably not.

 

If you are really worried then post more stuff or PM a few folk on BH.

 

My preferance is to just post on BH, not PM as then you get the best group advise.

 

 

[CalvinHobbes]

Thanks, the advice here is indeed so good. The depth of knowledge, patience and tolerance for what must read as silly questions is considerable.  I try to do things the right way, hence my badly phrased question so it honestly doesn't bother me if anyone including planners see it. I love BH and have spent a long time reading through old threads. Often the humour is wicked and I find myself laughing too loudly for a house full of sleeping people.  My dad started this self build planning with us and he had a lot of experience developing property. He passed so tbh I can almost hear him in some of the posts I read. 

Edited January 14, 2023 by CalvinHobbes

[Gus Potter]

39 minutes ago, CalvinHobbes said:

what must read as silly questions is considerable. 

They don't .. there is no such thing as a silly question.. the silly folk at the dafties; that are too up themselves to ask or at the other end folk that worry about looking "stupid" by asking a laymans question.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[joe90]

My take on not publicising what you are doing is that you are not trying to break any rules but asking for advice on the best way to achieve what you want. Plenty of “been there, done that” advise here 👍

[Mr Punter]

It is worth scraping the topsoil off around the proposed footprint and backfilling with crushed concrete so you have a clean apron around the perimeter.  If there is space on site, stockpile the topsoil, otherwise muckaway and bring in more later.

 

As early as possible get a decent access so that plant and materials can get on and off the site without being up to the axels in mud.