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Upcoming increases in planning application fees
The Government recently announced that planning application fees for certain categories of developments will increase on 1st April 2025 as follows:
Type of development | Current fee (£) | New fee from 1st April 2025 (£) | |
1 | Enlargement, improvement or other alteration of a single dwellinghouse | 258 | 528 |
2 | Enlargement, improvement or other alteration of two or more dwellinghouses | 509 | 1,043 |
3 | Prior approval applications that do not involve building operations | 120 | 240 |
4 | Prior approval applications that involve building operations | 258 | 516 |
5 | Prior approvals relating to the change of use of commercial, business and service uses to residential | 125 per dwelling | 250 per dwelling |
6 | Approval of details reserved by conditions for householder developments | 43 | 86 |
7 | Approval of details reserved by conditions for any other development | 145 | 298 |
8 | Submission of a biodiversity net gain plan | 145 | 298 |
9 | New fee category for applications to vary permission for a householder development | 86 | |
10 | New fee category for applications to vary a permission for a non-major development other than a householder permission | 586 | |
11 | New fee category for applications to vary permission for a major development | 2,000 |
Due to this upcoming fee increase, local planning authorities are likely to be inundated with planning applications in an attempt to beat the 1st April deadline. Therefore, we advise developers to not wait until the last minute, given that significant time is required to put together material for submitting valid applications.
Grey Belt land
The Government revised the National Planning Policy Framework on 12th December 2024 by introducing, among other things, a category of land in the Green Belt called ‘Grey Belt’ which is intended to simplify the usual strict restrictions against new development.
The revised national policy defines Grey Belt land as land in the Green Belt comprising “previously developed land” or land that does not “strongly contribute” to three of the five purposes of including land in the Green Belt excluding certain designated land specifically identified in this policy.
As a result of the change in national policy in this respect, we at Robinson & Hall are of the opinion that there is an opportunity to revisit previous applications that might have been rejected as a result of being considered inappropriate in the Green Belt.
To date, two appeal decisions have been allowed by planning inspectors applying the concept of Grey Belt land.
Spring consultations on more permitted development rights for the conversion and change of use of barns to farm shops and holiday lets
In a recent speech, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) Secretary, Steve Reed, announced that the Government will consult in the spring on national planning reforms to make it quicker for farmers to construct farm buildings, barns and other infrastructure they need to boost their food production.
Mr Reed remarked that planning rules ‘’have got in the way for too long”, hence the Government will ensure permitted development rights work for farmers so they can convert larger barns into a farm shop, a holiday let, or sports facility.
Compulsory purchase process and compensation reforms
The Government is running a consultation till 13th February 2025 to seek views on reforming the compulsory purchase process and compensation rules aimed at implementing technical reforms to make the process cheaper, quicker and fairer.
The consultation paper explains that compulsory purchase is the power to acquire land and property without the consent of the owner and is an important land assembly tool needed to help deliver social, environmental and economic change in the public interest.
The Government states that it is concerned there is a significant amount of suitable land available for housing which is currently lying vacant or underutilised and not coming forward for development or, where it is coming forward for development, the provision of affordable housing offered on those sites is below the minimum ask of the local authority.
For more information or to find out how our planning team can help you, please contact Abel Bunu.
In October 2024, we celebrated a year since relocating our Bedford office to Oakley. Embracing a modern open-plan workspace has positively impacted all departments and we are thoroughly enjoying our new offices. If you’re nearby, feel free to drop by for a tour of the office.
Lee Jackson has also joined our auction department as an Auction Property Lister. His charisma and experience have served him well, and he has introduced numerous lots to recent auctions.
This year, we launched the ‘Robinson & Hall Experts Talk’ podcast. As I write this, we’ve released eleven episodes so far. Our experts share their insights and advice on a variety of relevant topics, including the Sustainable Farming Incentive, permitted development rights, development land, listed property refurbishments, and renewable energy, making it convenient for listeners on the go, especially for those with busy schedules!
We also revamped our auction website this year, starting fresh with a complete redesign centred around our users. The new site offers more valuable information, including guides, finance, and solicitor pages, along with a modern aesthetic that enhances navigation.
Looking ahead, 2025 promises to be another bustling year, and as ever we will always keep you in the loop with any important updates.
For marketing queries or to join our database, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
2024 has been another great year for the Auction department at Robinson & Hall. Our aims for this year, in addition to continuing our growth trajectory, were to expand the team, develop new relationships with estate agents to introduce suitable property, and to try to make the process of both selling and buying at auction less intimidating and more accessible.
Our growth has continued, and, already with an auction to go, we have exceeded the number of lots offered in 2023 by 133 and the number sold by 115. The percentage of lots sold is 87%, with the expectation that after the December auction, we will have a 20% improvement over last year.
The lot which performed the best over the guide price in 2024, was a three-acre paddock at Felmersham, which sold for nearly six times the guide price.
The fastest selling lot in 2024 was a flat in Shortstown. Sold as a late lot for a desperate seller, it was sold for £71,000 more than his aborted sale and just 13 days after we were instructed to sell!
The team was expanded at the beginning of June with the appointment of Lee Jackson who joined us as an Auction Lister. As an ex-professional golfer and coach, Lee possesses a natural ability to connect with people, and he has started on the long journey of gaining a broad knowledge of property auctions extremely well. New relationships have been formed by David Howard, our Business Development Manager, that concluded with successful sales on introductions from agents in Towcester, Tring, High Wycombe and Wolverton.
To make the process of buying and selling through our auction more accessible, we took a critical look at our website. We decided to start from scratch to create a completely new site with useful guides and contacts for both buyers and sellers, and one that is just as easy to navigate on mobile devices as it is on a laptop or PC. This took much longer than we had originally anticipated as our ideas expanded, and we were undertaking this work in amongst our normal duties of appraising property, reporting to potential clients, building catalogues, hosting open-house viewings and holding our auction at the Delta Marriott Hotel in Milton Keynes every two months. We were finally ready to launch the new site at the start of November and we are delighted with the response from people using it.
If you would like to book a no obligation auction appraisal to find out if your land or property is suitable for auction, then please contact me.
Leaking roofs, cracks in walls, missing insulation, draughty windows – why do builders think owners should accept sub-standard and shoddy work?
In this day and age, we should be embracing high-quality design and demanding super energy efficient buildings. So why is the quality of building works so often not good enough?
I have been instructed to inspect all types of poorly executed works on building projects including brand new multi-million pound houses carried out by national housebuilders, right through to bespoke new build and extension projects carried out by smaller builders. Unfortunately, I am typically called towards the end of the project when it’s often too late and the relationship between the client and the builder has broken down making it more difficult to rectify matters.
Where to start?
Schedule of defects
I have often been instructed to carry out a schedule of defects, commonly refered to as a ‘snagging list’ for newly constructed homes. This highlights all the defective issues for a new-build project, and it’s very surprising to see how poorly constructed some are. These should really be carried out before a new owner moves in but often get overlooked as new owners feel pressured to move in too hastily. Then the unfortunate grim reality is that defects accumulate and it’s more difficult to get the developer to return to rectify. Sometimes, it takes the threat of owners taking legal action and a detailed surveyor’s report to finally get the builder to return to correct major defects.
A change in government legislation ensures the New Homes Ombudsman Service (NHOS) is now available to buyers of newly-built homes. The Building Safety Act 2022 (see the ‘Ensuring our buildings are safe’ article on page 7 and 8) gives the Government the power to require new home developers to be part of the NHOS scheme. We’ll have to wait and see how much teeth this provides to new homeowners, or if they will still be drawn through the legal process to force developers to carry out the required remedial works.
Other occasions include when individual property owners have instructed their own contractor to carry out a large conversion, or extension or remodelling works. If not correctly managed, these can often be poorly carried out and ultimately property owners get let down by shoddy workmanship. This is often because the owner unwittingly puts too much faith in the builder without agreeing the detailed specification from the outset and not fully understanding what the builder has included (or more importantly not included) in their original quotation.
Avoid disputes
No one likes to be embroiled in a dispute. They cause huge anxiety, can be extremely time consuming and costly, and often lead to an irreversible falling out with your builder.
Instruct the correct professionals from the outset
The main message is to instruct the correct professionals from the outset to agree specifications and ensure your building project is correctly project managed. Robinson & Hall has this expertise to advise you from initial concept, obtaining planning permission and builders’ tenders, and project managing the works.
Carried out the works already?
If legal matters escalate and the need arises, I can be on hand to prepare an Expert Report to comply with Part 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules to help support your case.
In light of the Government’s bold ambition to see 1.5 million new homes built over the next five years, I have concerns that quality will get overlooked in the desire for cost cutting and building far too quickly without the correct skill set and adequate supervision. This also translates to small to medium build projects, and it’s imperative you obtain the correct professional advice whatever the size and scale of your project.
In my opinion, what is the point in building lots of new houses or carrying out your dream building project if it is not going to be energy efficient or of suitable quality or fit for purpose?
For more information or to discuss your project, please contact me.
Following the sobering news of changes to Agricultural Property Relief as part of the Autumn Budget, you might be wondering what you can do to generate additional revenue streams from your farm.
Whether your property is currently underutilised or no longer fit for farming purposes, there is an opportunity for some rural landowners to lease their empty barns for commercial storage.
Businesses in need of an additional storage space are drawn to rural areas since Covid. The rates and higher level of security where the landowner lives in the farmhouse has attracted many companies. Traditionally, the greatest demand for storage space has come from the construction industry, however the growth of e-commerce has contributed to the sustained demand for these units to support the supply chain distribution network.
Seeking advice from a qualified commercial surveyor in the early stages is always highly recommended. At Robinson & Hall, we can help you navigate the letting of your barn.
Below is a client case study for the letting of an empty barn:
Location: Newport Pagnell
Size: 4,400 to 10,000 sq ft
The case: The client owns a farm with several agricultural barns and stables. When the previous tenant of the buildings relocated, the client was left with empty units and no income.
The result: After inspecting
the vacant open-fronted storage units, our commercial property surveyors recommended that the client undertook improvements, subject to prospective tenants’ requirements. This included installing roller shutter doors and cladding to ensure the units were secured and structurally sound. We were successful in identifying four tenants in the span of two months.
When you consider letting your barn for commercial purposes, it’s important to consider the following:
For more information or to find out how we can help you, please contact me.
If you are looking to change the use of your agricultural building and are unsure whether Permitted Development Rights apply to you, then please see the following charts which highlight the process and key requirements to consider.
Listed Building Surveys
The purchase of a heritage property requires a survey and report that is tailored to the type of building. Often, we are asked to carry out a RICS Level 2 or 3 survey. However, the RICS template format of such reports is not suitable where there are historic features to consider and repairs that require traditional craftsmanship to resolve.
Our detailed survey report comments on defects but also risk analysis of future issues over the medium term. Estimated costs of repairs are included to help give a balanced view of the property.
In our experience, it is inevitable that some work will be required to a Listed Building, and purchasers need to be aware of the need for ongoing maintenance of historic fabric. Modern-day repair solutions are usually not appropriate to traditional materials.
Recent examples of survey findings include:
Party Walls
The Party Wall etc Act 1996 often brings neighbours into disagreement, and it is the Party Wall Surveyor’s role to resolve disputes that fall under the Act. One aspect of the Act that an adjacent owner may not realise is that a person carrying out alteration works or extensions can in certain circumstances have the right to erect scaffold over next door or gain access on their land to carry out the work. If damage is caused to next door, surveyors can step in to issue a further Award in order to resolve disputes where neighbours cannot agree.
Our Party Wall Expert, Stuart Brown, has been involved in over 120 party wall matters during 2024, for projects mainly within a 25-mile radius of the Bedford office, but also on a large improvement scheme in Crawley.
If you would like further information or to find out how we can help you, please contact me.
We have been anticipating the introduction of a Renters’ Rights Bill affecting the lettings industry for several years. The previous Conservative Government had set out to introduce changes affecting the private rental sector but encountered numerous difficulties when submitting its bill through Parliament, resulting in them alluding to watering down the Bill.
Labour is now in charge and they had pledged in their manifesto to fast track their version of the Bill. They intend on introducing greater rights for tenants but are still in the early stages. The Government has expressed its intention for the Bill to be enforced by spring/summer 2025.
The following is an overview of the proposed upcoming changes:
If you would like to book a no-obligation lettings appraisal or to find out more about our lettings department, then please contact me.
The East West Rail project has finally issued its route, and consultations are taking place locally. I visited the exhibition recently in Bedford.
The main points are:
The stated aim is to be primarily a freight route.
More details can be found online at here or you can visit the exhibitions in person.
The Building Safety Act 2022 was brought into legislation due to tragedies and loss of life in failures to high-profile building. This legislation has been in place now for two years and the transition period ended in April 2024.
The regulations cover structural issues and fire safety. Dutyholders such as the Building Control Principal Designer and Building Control Principal Contractor under the Act will be required to manage building safety risks with clear lines of responsibility during the design, construction and completion stage.
The Act defines “high-risk“ buildings as those that are high rise (over 18m or seven storeys with at least two residential units) other than excluded buildings. The regulations impose differing rules and regimes depending on whether the property or project falls into the high-risk category.
They have removed the Local Authority Building Control department’s remit for high rise, and the regulator for these buildings is now the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). An accountable person must be appointed, but it is best practice and guidance to have an accountable person for all non-domestic properties.
For low-rise buildings, there are several changes, which could be summarised as the “golden thread”. The golden thread is a digital record of a building’s information that is kept throughout its life cycle. It includes information about the design, materials, construction processes and compliance with regulations. The document should be kept up to date.
The building safety documents are likely to be scrutinised when any property transactions occur and will clearly be the go-to document when considering altering or refurbishing a property.
Building Regulations now makes the client responsible for the appointment of both a Building Control Principal Designer and Building Control Principal Contractor. If these are not appointed then the client must fulfil the role (this does not extend to domestic/residential clients).
Clients must make a declaration at the end of a project that to the best of their knowledge, the work comply to the regulations (which is a new responsibility). The Building Regulations Principal Designer and Building Regulations Principal Contractor must also declare via the client to the Building Control Body that they have fulfilled their duties under part 2A (duty holders and competence) and again that the works carried out comply with the regulations. This is effectively transferring more responsibility for compliance from Building Control checking conformity to the client, Principal Designer and Principal Contractor.
The regulator for the Building Safety Act 2022 will be the HSE, and under the Act the accountable person can be subject to an improvement notice or prosecution (up to 2 years or an unlimited fine).
Robinson & Hall’s Building & Project Consultancy team can assist with fulfilling the Building Control Principal Designer requirements under the Building Safety Act 2022 for works our clients are planning, designing and constructing in respect of low-rise structures, for which the team has nearly 100 years of combined experience.
If you would like to find out more information, then please contact me.