Rather than fighting the planning system there’s a way to manage and accelerate the system

Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Design & Creation

“Planning is broken.”

This is a statement we hear most weeks from our clients, not always in such polite language.

And while a fix to the entire system is not an easy task – almost impossible according to some, we can use specific tools to accelerate the process and facilitate a positive decision with the town and district planning offices.

One important tool is incorporating high-end CGI images that showcase the proposed scheme into the planning application itself, helping the planning officers to fully understand the development in full context.

More and more, we see our images playing an important role in achieving positive decisions across a wide range of urban and rural developments.

Perception is everything.

Imagine you’re a planning officer, faced with the usual submission containing a set of architects simply drawn elevations and site plans amongst a host of other information and being asked to imagine exactly how this scheme will look, in terms of both design and in context within its environment.

It’s like asking someone to fully understand how a landscape looks based purely on supplying them with an OS map.

Not easy… at best. Ponderous, non-useful and not in the best interests of the viewer.

Now imagine supplying this same person with a 3D aerial image across that same landscape from Google Earth.

Now they understand what they are seeing, all ambiguity is gone.

In planning, a huge hurdle in the process is immediately taken away with CGI imagery.

A great development design is showcased and now fully understood. Officers and residents at public consultations are given peace of mind – ahhh, so this scheme won’t be another faceless, homogenous parcel of boring boxes. This design and configuration will be attractive, will fit in with – and often enhance what has already been built in the immediate area.

Submission at the planning stage is actually marketing. Painting the picture, telling the story, giving a true indication of the design and how it fits into the vernacular and location, offering peace of mind to all.

Marketing to help all parties fully understand – and be able to buy into – the great design of the homes, the entire developments and commercial schemes that are been offered.

For our clients the return on investment is huge and like never before, speed of consent has become even more critical to both developers and the councillors alike.

All parties need these applications to go through as smoothly and quickly as possible.

Rather than fighting the system it’s now a case of working to help manage and accelerate the system with a tool that has proven time and time again to get positive outcomes and results.