We are an award-winning local planning consultancy, providing industry-leading expert planning advice. With offices in Hove and Midhurst, our team of qualified planning consultants provide friendly local expertise, support and advocacy. Our approachable team will take the stress out of the planning process - whatever your project or issue.

Whaleback is unique in that all of our professional staff have extensive and recent experience working within council planning departments at a senior level. We have unrivalled insight into how councils work and how they will deal with your application, as well as good working relationships with many of the officers in local councils. Some of the local planning authorities we have worked for include Brighton & Hove City Council, South Downs National Park Authority, Mid Sussex District Council, Chichester District Council and Horsham District Council.

We also offer an initial discussion about your project, free of charge, to give helpful and honest advice to inform your decisions.

If you appoint a Planning Consultant you have the peace of mind that you are represented by an expert who is working in your best interests. Our Planning Consultants are skilled at ensuring you maximise the development potential of your land and property, protecting your interests, ensuring the council considers the correct issues to ensure better decision-making on your behalf, advocating and arguing your case, avoiding punitive or unnecessary planning conditions, identifying risks and opportunities that you may not be aware of, and interpreting the language and jargon of the planning process for you.

Whaleback consultants are ‘Chartered Town Planners’, registered with the RTPI, meaning they are recognised by councils, clients and members of the public for their skills, expertise and professional practice and adhere to the RTPI Code of Conduct. We are active in the industry and undertake continual professional development to stay abreast of legislative changes and the latest planning knowledge.

Once appointed, we will provide you with expert advice and support to ensure you are well informed going into the planning process; we will also prepare and submit all necessary documentation and represent you throughout the application process to ensure your best chance of success.

The planning process is intended to be accessible to all (with or without professional representation) but is very often challenging, complex and difficult to navigate. Appointing experts such as Whaleback will help you understand and navigate your options, identify risks and manage the planning process on your behalf. This should give you peace of mind and ensure all the necessary information, evidence and a compelling justification is provided to best support your planning application.

Your architect may also recommend that you appoint a Planning Consultant to support them in the preparation of your plans; this is a complementary role and should not overlap your separate instructions to the architect. We will work with your appointed architect to ensure the design is likely to get planning permission, suggesting amendments if necessary. We will then submit your planning application on your behalf and communicate with the council proactively and regularly until the decision is issued.

Most new buildings and changes of use in the UK will require a planning application. Some domestic extensions may have ‘Permitted Development Rights’ that avoid the need for a planning application. We can advise and confirm exactly what does and does not need planning permission in your circumstances, and deliver any necessary applications where needed. Contact us to find out if you need planning permission.

There are some ‘Permitted Development Rights’ for commercial changes of use but most will require a ‘Prior Approval’ application to be submitted to the council; Whaleback are experts in Prior Approval applications and will be able to tell you what is required and deliver this on your behalf.

Yes. For most planning applications accurate plans of your building or land will be required by the council to support your planning application. We will explain exactly what drawings you need for your specific proposal, these will usually include floor plans, elevations, an OS Plan of the location, and site plans. If you have appointed an architect already please introduce us as early as possible in the process. If you do not yet have an architect, we can recommend several local architects and surveyors that we work with regularly to provide independent quotes.

We will then work with your architect to finalise the drawings and guide them through the planning process efficiently and effectively.

We prepare and submit your planning application forms, Community Infrastructure Levy documentation, the mandatory Planning Statement, Design & Access Statement and Heritage Statement (where required) and advise you of any further documentation required (sometimes by third parties such as an Ecologist). We submit all documentation on your behalf and communicate with the council proactively and regularly until the decision is issued.

Our experts aim to give you peace of mind and ensure all the necessary information, evidence and a compelling justification is provided to support your application and then advocate on your behalf throughout the process.

Most planning applications should be determined by the council within 8 weeks. Large or complex applications should take 13 weeks. However, many councils are over-loaded with applications at present and are taking significantly longer. Whaleback works hard to ensure your application is prioritised and any issues are addressed in a timely manner to ensure an efficient and successful outcome.

Whaleback will submit your application and supporting documents to the council. The council check this (known as ‘validation’) which can take 1-2 weeks. The council then consult interested parties, including neighbours, for 3 weeks. At this point we contact the council to see if there are any issues with your application arising from the consultation, and advise you accordingly. If any issues arise we work with you and the council to overcome these in a timely manner. The council’s planning officer then considers the case and makes a recommendation which is either authorised by a senior officer or presented to Planning Committee for elected councillors to vote on. If your application goes to Planning Committee we will attend and speak on your behalf (addressing any objectors if required) to ensure your best case is put forward to the committee. The council will issue your decision around 8 weeks from submission.

You will receive a Decision Notice, either granting planning permission or refusing planning permission.

If planning permission is granted many Decision Notices include ‘conditions’ that require further details to be submitted. We can deal with this on your behalf, please speak to us about this once you receive your Decision Notice.

If planning permission is refused, you have the option to appeal. Again, we can deal with this on your behalf so please speak to us about this once you receive your Decision Notice.

Council’s charge for planning applications and fees vary depending on application type: application fees are provided here.

Whaleback charge professional fees for our services. We will provide you with a written quote specific to your project; call us now to discuss.

We offer an initial discussion about your project free of charge, and aim to give helpful and honest advice to help you decide how to proceed with your project. We will then provide a quote (with no obligation) should you wish to instruct us to take your project forward.

You may need a Lawful Development Certificate to prove that something on your property is ‘Permitted Development’ or is lawful for other reasons; this is often requested during conveyancing when selling a property, and occasionally is requested by the local council if they suspect something has been built without planning permission.

Generally, Lawful Development Certificates are optional and you can choose whether or not to apply for one. They can provide peace of mind to you and prospective property purchasers. Contact us to discuss and we can tell you whether or not a Certificate is needed in your circumstances and help you make the decision.

Call us. We can advise if a retrospective planning permission is required for your development. We will then liaise with the council on your behalf to ensure the correct permissions are secured.

In some circumstances, we will advise that a Lawful Development Certificate is a better option for you to confirm that planning permission is not in fact required.

If you have received a letter from the council’s Planning Enforcement team it is normally because a neighbour has raised a concern about building works (or uses) at your property. Call us immediately before responding to the council so we can advise you of your rights, your options, and advise you of the best way forward in your best interests. Be mindful of stated deadlines and do not put off dealing with it - act now.

If you have received a formal Enforcement Notice then please call us immediately so we can ensure your best interests are protected. Deadlines on Enforcement Notices are critically important, and not negotiable, so the sooner you instruct us the sooner we can start representing you. It is always more effective to seek professional representation from a Planning Consultant as early as possible to ensure proper processes are followed and you do not inadvertently incriminate yourself.

If instructed, Whaleback will represent your best interests and advocate on your behalf in all correspondence and interactions with the council. We aim to take the stress out of the process and avoid further enforcement action by the council wherever possible.

The council is responsible for determining planning applications and decides whether to approve or refuse applications. It is not therefore possible to guarantee the outcome of an application but Whaleback will only submit an application once we consider it to have at least a reasonable prospect of success. We will work with you and your architect to prepare and submit proposals in the best form possible to ensure the best chance of success; inevitably some applications have pros and cons and these balanced cases are more difficult to predict but we will give you clear advice on this throughout to avoid any surprises during the process - and always on your understanding and instruction.