“Steve recently obtained full planning approval for our scheme. I was very impressed by the high level of knowledge of planning law provided by SDA Planning and Architecture. Steve provided reliable guidance throughout a complicated and extensive domestic redevelopment with multiple extensions, combining planning issues and permitted development rights. Including handling objections from neighbours and dealing with the planning officer who was less than enthusiastic about our scheme. By considered application of his extensive planning experience he avoided getting bogged down, keeping our planning application on track and delivered our full planning approval in good time. I would sum up my experience of their delivery of service as follows: Highly qualified, very experienced, knowledgeable, reliable, accurate, trustworthy and expedient. I wouldn’t hesitate in engaging them for a further project or recommending them to another party.”

“We have used SDA planning services for two separate projects and were extremely happy with the outcome of both mainly down to the advice and guidance received from Steve and the team. The service provided is professional and very efficient but at the same time friendly and personal. We would not hesitate to recommend SDA’s services and would use them again if the need arises.

Happy to report one project is completed and phase one of project two is underway.”

““SDA Planning provides a very professional and efficient service. They are pro-active and thorough, as an architect I find them easy to work with.””

““I approached SDA Planning following a refusal for an extension to a block of flats in Winchester. I was considering making an appeal at the time. SDA Planning advised against this route, and suggested amendments to the car parking, landscaping and a small reduction of the extension footprint. SDA Planning liaised with the planners, putting the case to them, then submitted the new application and continued to monitor throughout. The application was successful. The scheme was not adversely affected by the changes, I obtained my consent much earlier than an appeal route and without the cost of an appeal too. I would thoroughly recommend SDA Planning””

““I was very impressed with your service and advice, right from when we contacted you, to the calls you made to the council to get things moving, and gaining some insight into the problems they had with the proposals. Having done a very thorough site visit, the subsequent documentation you drew up for the case was excellent, a lot more detailed and informative than I had expected. I would definitely recommend your services to anyone else who is having problems with planning applications, as I know they would be guaranteed a first-class service.””

““I have used SDA Planning’s services for several projects now, including agricultural, enforcement and solar panels. I have been very pleased with the advice and service they have offered which is testament to the repeat business I have given them. At each stage local authority planners have told me that I would not obtain planning permission for my various developments. However SDA Planning has been able to utilise their wealth of experience and planning knowledge and for each case has been successful in obtaining the various permissions.

If you are looking for a quick, informative and overall professional service in a plain straight talking manner you cannot go wrong with SDA Planning.””

““We are lucky enough to live in an area that is much sought-after and very lovely. It is also a Special Protection Area and that presented a problem when we applied for planning permission as we very much wanted to alter the appearance and optimise the space of our very dated house.

After one unsuccessful application to the Borough Council, we were advised to have a planning consultant to help our case and SDA Planning was recommended by our architect as they had worked together previously. After an initial reluctance to increase our expenditure we agreed SDA Planning made an immediate impact on our application.

They took the time to listen to our aspirations for our home and visited the site to get a proper understanding of what the case involved. They methodically went through all the aspects of the plans and the planning regulations. They patiently explained how our plan would be interpreted by a planning officer and how we might make subtle changes to help our case without altering our overall vision. They authored all our communications with the planning department and it was noticeable that their language was markedly different from our earlier efforts.

We still had to go before the Local Area Committee to overcome the intransigence of the planning officer and this is where SDA Planning proved their worth. Their in-depth knowledge of the planning rules and procedure were invaluable as we were able to immediately overturn two of the three objections raised by the officer – the third being a vague catch-all regulation that was only a matter of opinion. SDA Planning, however, remained calm and polite and in control of the process, arguing diligently and effectively in front of the committee and advising the rest of my team on their arguments. This combined with their previous lobbying of the councillors to ensure they fully understood the scheme swung the decision in our favour.

Planning law and planning officers are a mystery and certainly neither take any notice of common sense or the greater good and to navigate these difficult waters you need help. SDA Planning can supply that help with the benefit of many years working within the system and a calm logical approach to planning problems.

We now have the home we wanted for our family and the locality has a residence of which it can be proud. We owe our success to SDA Planning.””