While I am finding that all planning departments that I have been in contact with are still working reasonably normally, inevitably there are delays in the planning process. Planning Appeals, too, are taking a while to organise.

Some people found that in the early weeks of the lockdown, planning applications went through easily, as planning officers tried to ease their workload by approving anything that didn’t seem too controversial. I have certainly had two applications sail through, that I thought may cause a problem. In fact, one of them has caused a storm subsequently, as a neighbour didn’t realise what was happening…

But there are potentially more difficulties now, as planning departments have adjusted their work routines to fit the new realities. The difficulty that is now appearing is that neighbours and others are often at home, often on-line, and may have nothing better to do than to object to your scheme. This makes a well-organised planning application even more important than usual.

Contact Charles at charlesholt@fcgagric.com for help in preparing your application.