How we can help

Many of our clients acquire sites with the intention of adding value by obtaining either an outline or a full planning permission.

If you are thinking of buying a site, find out more about it first. Development decisions should be made with a complete understanding of the opportunities and possible pitfalls as a wrong decision can prove very costly later.

Similarly, before you commit to selling a site, make sure you know what planning potential it has. You may then decide to gain outline or full planning consent before you place it on the market.

Buying

Simple investigations can help you make the right decision and avoid expensive mistakes.

Before you buy, find out what the planning potential of a site is likely to be, what the planning history is and whether there are hidden ‘dealbreakers’ such as contamination or restrictive covenant issues. Good advice early on will help you choose the right site and maximise its potential.

Barefoot & Gilles can carry out an appraisal of a site before you need to commit yourself to any design work. A desktop study is not expensive and will highlight any areas of concern. Then if you’re happy to go ahead a simple feasibility study and consultation with the Local Planning Authority will help shape your view of the prospects for the site. This due diligence will also help when it comes to sourcing funding for any future development.

You need to have a clear picture of how you would proceed to a planning consent, what information you will need, how much it will cost and what your chances of success are. We can provide this advice so you can make an acquisition with confidence.

Selling

If you’re thinking of disposing of a site or buildings, look at the planning potential beforehand and avoid losing out on the added value that a good planning permission can bring.

Your property might have planning potential which could add considerably to its value and so before you commit to a sale, make sure you know what that potential is. You may then decide to gain an outline or full planning consent before you bring the site to the market. We can also advise you on the best market for your new planning permission.

Barefoot & Gilles can evaluate the planning potential of your property with a simple desktop study and if all looks well, we can provide a ‘high level’ feasibility study and discuss your ideas with the local planning department.

Make an informed decision and make the most out of your sale.

The planning process is becoming ever more complicated and demanding. Our experience in over thirty years of placing planning applications is complemented by the close association we now have with JTS Partnership, a planning consultancy based in Brentwood. We have been working with JTSP to provide comprehensive and in depth planning advice on projects ranging from single houses to business parks, warehousing to Listed buildings.

Successful planning negotiations will always involve design but often a complicated or controversial application will need the advice of a consultant well-versed in Planning Law and the implementation of Planning Policy. This is where the combination of the skill sets of Barefoot & Gilles and JTSP can provide a robust and knowledgeable representation of our clients’ projects.

Our Planning Advice page provides more details of the service that our combined experience can provide.

A useable planning permission will increase the value of your site but this value can be compromised if the design is impractical or overly complicated. We believe that good design is cost-effective design, a scheme can be spectacular but then prove to be a costly nightmare to build.

We pride ourselves on our ability to provide innovative and imaginative design, tempered by over thirty years of on-site construction experience. All the schemes we submit for planning have within them the ‘DNA’ of a readily buildable design. Our planning drawings will easily translate into the built form.

Many of our clients will retain the buildings we design for them for their continued use. Housing associations, health and welfare providers, corporations and other institutions will remain responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of their buildings in perpetuity. The buildings we design and deliver for them need therefore to be robust, practical and with a quality of construction and finish which will ensure they continue to deliver on their original design intentions.

‘Buildability’ is sometimes an issue where insufficient care has been taken to produce construction information which can be readily built. Our technical team is highly accomplished and can review the drawings and specifications of your scheme to identify any gaps or inconsistencies before the project goes into contract. It’s far more cost-effective to discover these problems on paper rather than on site.

We are often appointed by contractors to produce construction information. We regard this as an indication of the confidence that the industry has in our technical ability and realistic approach to delivery.

Energy consumption and climate change are directly linked and are of global concern. Britain is taking the initiative in reducing both the carbon footprint of construction and improving the energy performance of all building types.

Our corporate, institutional and also many of our private clients have made a commitment to reduce the environmental impact of their buildings and in response we have developed our expertise in this field. Whereas devices such as air-sourced heat pumps and photo-voltaic cells can be technology applied to a building to reduce energy consumption, we begin with the building itself. Factors such as the orientation of the building on the site and the materials and method of construction are fundamental to the lifetime energy consumption of a building and we use these as our start point in design.

This ‘fabric first’ approach means that the building is in itself energy efficient. Optimum orientation allows passive solar energy to be utilised whilst avoiding overheating and a highly-insulated envelope with controlled ventilation reduces the energy required to maintain a comfortable environment.

Sustainability is also a global issue and we are careful to specify wherever possible products and materials which are renewable resources and require the minimum of energy investment in their production.

We think and work in 3D as part of the design process and so it makes sense to present your scheme in 3D so that planners and the public in general can understand your ideas. A single photographic quality image can be very effective but is quite costly and you may wish to save those funds for your marketing budget.

We can produce very effective 3D sketches as the design progresses which will help you and your development partners to visualise the building we are designing for you. As the design develops further we can not only show you how the building will look but can take you on a virtual tour through all the spaces. Whether it is a house or a factory, by the time we have finalised the design for a building you will feel that you have already walked around inside it.

3D representation is particularly effective for public meetings and for presentation to planning committees, boards of trustees and other stakeholders. It can be difficult for people to visualise a scheme from plans and an image showing the completed building in context can be invaluable.

‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ is a cliché but nonetheless true.

The aim with every project is to complete it on time and on budget.

A good architect is a good project manager, we have experience of the many forms of contract available and we are able to provide you with an overall strategy for the delivery of your project. We advise on building procurement early in the design process and can guide you through the decision-making process which will deliver a building which meets your needs, on time and on budget.

‘Buildability’ is sometimes an issue where insufficient care has been taken to produce construction information which can be readily built. Our technical team is highly accomplished and can review the drawings and specifications of your scheme to identify any gaps or inconsistencies before the project goes into contract. It’s far more cost-effective to discover these problems on paper rather than on site.

When the unexpected arises, as it sometimes does with construction, we can help you assess your options so that the project continues to meet your expectations.

With our extensive experience in construction management we can advise on contract, choice of contractor, realistic programmes and sensible budgets.