A minor amendment can be a major catastrophe

Having bought land or plot with existing planning permission I thought I was on to a winner, or at least a good each-way bet.  However what I didn’t envisage is that the world of minor amendments is a very murky and troublesome one.  It started with me thinking that a three-storey develop was overkill on this plot, and, for my needs.  I was also mindful that it would be the only property of this type in the village, sorry, make that hamlet.  My appointed architect confidently predicted that the changes I was proposing would be accepted as a minor amendment, no bother.  How wrong a ‘professional’ can be, and to be honest it cost him money as well as my time.    Being new to this game, I trusted and therefore decided to leave my appointed drawing scribbler to it.  His handling meant he had two sets of drawings, created and rejected.  The second set after accepting written feedback from the particular planner in question and even communication by phone.  The second rejection astounded me and the architect, his idea was to create a third set of drawings for appraisal, mine was very different.  I decided to find the bull and give its horns a tug.  Planners are actually very receptive to meetings and chats about developments, as well they should be, but officially I don’t believe they are obligated.

 I set a meeting up with the planner, to discuss conditions attached to the original application and possible minor amendments.  After a good half-hour chat about amendments, the planner saying things like ‘I like that’ and ‘I don’t like that’ in what would pass as a sound Graham Taylor impression. I got the feeling he still wasn’t getting the drift of the meeting.  So I asked outright if he would pass what we were discussing as a minor amendment, the reply, ‘I’m not sure’.  Clear as my building plot’s sod then.  So in a very quick chat, I was blunt, but honest, and said I didn’t need or want the third storey, and could I therefore take out, the expensively designed dormer windows?  ‘Yes’ was the stuttered reply. 

You’ve guessed it; the third set of drawings were still rejected as a minor amendment. My powers of persuasion and one final tweak saved the day. The tweak being the height of the house was lower and he wanted it put back.  I said I thought that the reduced height would be favourable, as a condition of the planning approval seemed to hint at the overall height of the development being crucial.  Not so, I was told, and still struggle to understand, that a reduced pitch on the roof would make the house appear more intrusive on my new neighbours.  I saved myself the bother of a heated debate, and settled on putting my neighbours into shadow, by about a metre worth of house more than is necessary.

I was disappointed not to get the minor approval on gold leaf, but that red ink stamp was definitely worth its weight in the shiny stuff, if not being worth the actual wait.