Is the planning system really as unpredictable as everyone says?

Plenty of homeowners treat a refusal as a catastrophe and an approval as a green light to break ground. Neither assumption holds up.

We walk through the entire planning process from first principles. That means understanding whether your project needs full planning or permitted development, how to structure an application that makes it easy for a planning officer to say yes, and what a robust set of supporting documents looks like.

We then get into what happens when things do not go to plan. Refusals come with reasons and those reasons are a roadmap. We weigh up resubmission against appeal, look at the real cost of each, and explain why front-loading surveys and preparation at planning stage almost always produces a faster, smoother project than rushing in underprepared.

Only one in three planning appeals succeeds. Prepare properly at the start and you are unlikely to need one.

"Starting early doesn't make you finish early." - Bart Kolosowski

You’ll hear about:

• Full planning vs permitted development explained
• How to choose the right planning route
• Pre-application advice: is it worth it?
• Preparing a robust planning application
• What happens when planning is refused
• Resubmission vs appeal: cost and risk
• Planning conditions that delay your start
• Outbuildings and the 30m² controversy
• Using permitted development as a fallback
• Front-loading surveys and due diligence
• Needs vs solutions: getting design right first
• Why preparation is the only risk management

Connect with us:

Tima Patel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinapatel/

Bart Kolosowski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartkolosowski/

Mentioned Episodes:

Planning Permission for Homes: Delays, Risks and How to Beat Them with Geoff Megarity - https://shorturl.at/WqqXw

Is Permitted Development a Shortcut or a Risk for Homeowners? with Geoff Megarity - https://shorturl.at/6h05I

Planning Permission Demystified: What Every Homeowner Needs to Know with Aaron Zimmerman - https://shorturl.at/ehERW

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com/

What if you could see every planning delay coming?

The delays most homeowners fear are more predictable than they think.

We sit down with Geoff Megarity, planning consultant at Bell Cornwell, to map out exactly where delays hide and what you can do to get ahead of them. From the validation checklist to ecology survey seasons, Geoff explains the preparation that separates a smooth five-month process from one that drags on for eighteen.

We cover how to build a validation checklist that gets your application through the door, when pre-application meetings are worth the time, how to challenge planning conditions before they slow your build, and how a simple red, amber, green framework can help you assess risk at every stage.

The right preparation means you go into construction with the right permission, the right conditions, and no costly surprises on the other side.

“Death by survey is something that comes up quite often.” - Geoff Megarity

You’ll hear about:

• How the planning system creates delay
• Why validation is the first real hurdle
• Reports that are mandatory versus optional
• Ecology surveys and seasonal timing risks
• Biodiversity net gain and who it affects
• How planning conditions add post-permission delay
• Pre-commencement vs pre-occupation conditions
• When pre-application meetings are worth it
• How planning committees work and when to use them
• Managing refusal risk and appeal strategy
• Red, amber, green risk framework for homeowners
• Banking a permission and amending later

Connect with Geoff Megarity:

Geoff Megarity at Bell Cornwell - https://www.bell-cornwell.co.uk/team/geoff-megarity/

Bell Corwnell - https://www.bell-cornwell.co.uk/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-megarity-a075676a/

Connect with us:

Tima Patel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinapatel/

Bart Kolosowski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartkolosowski/

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com/

Do you really know what your permitted development rights allow?

The rules are nationally set, locally interpreted, and full of conditions that can catch even experienced owners out.

We cover what permitted development allows: extensions, loft conversions, outbuildings, and barn conversions. We explain where the rules get complicated, why the same street can have completely different rights, and how conservation areas, Article 4 directions, and historic planning conditions can strip those rights without you ever knowing.

We also explore the fallback position strategy, how to use an established permitted development certificate as leverage in a full planning application, and why the certificate of lawfulness is worth getting even when it is not legally required.

Get this wrong and you are building unlawfully. Get it right and you may have more options than you realised.

“The onus is on the applicant to prove it’s lawful.” - Geoff Megarity

You’ll hear about:

• What permitted development rights actually cover
• Rear extension limits: three, four, six and eight metres
• Loft conversions: cubic volume limits explained
• Outbuildings: the 50% garden rule
• Why flats have no PD rights
• Conservation areas and Article 4 directions
• Finding the original building line
• What a certificate of lawfulness does
• The fallback position strategy in planning
• What happens when enforcement comes knocking
• Barn conversions under permitted development
• Why early professional advice saves money

Connect with Geoff Megarity:

Geoff Megarity at Bell Cornwell - https://www.bell-cornwell.co.uk/team/geoff-megarity/

Bell Corwnell - https://www.bell-cornwell.co.uk/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-megarity-a075676a/

Connect with us:

Tima Patel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinapatel/

Bart Kolosowski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartkolosowski/

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com/

Is planning permission as frightening as everyone says?

Planning is a black box where decisions are made arbitrarily, and outcomes are impossible to predict.

We cut through the confusion with chartered town planner Aaron Zimmerman of Centro Planning Consultancy. We cover what constitutes development, the difference between permitted development and full planning permission, how the eight-week determination process works, and what your options are when a refusal lands.

We also explore how to put together a strong application, when to bring in a planning consultant, how pre-application consultation works, and why a refusal is not the disaster most homeowners fear.

Get the process wrong at the start and you risk wasted time, wasted money, and a project that never gets off the ground. Get it right and planning becomes the most manageable part of your build.

“Go for gold. Get the planning permission." - Aaron Zimmerman

You’ll hear about:

• What legally counts as development
• When listed building consent is required
• How permitted development rights work
• Full planning permission: the process
• The eight-week determination timeline
• What to do after a refusal
• How to build a strong application
• When to use a planning consultant
• Pre-application consultation: pros and cons
• How to choose the right architect
• Why a refusal is not a disaster
• Planning reform and the system's limits

Connect with Aaron Zimmerman:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-zimmerman-ma-msc-mrtpi-83322b27/

Listen to Aaron’s podcast - Make Planning Make Sense - https://makeplanningmakesense.captivate.fm/

Centro Planning Consultancy - https://centroplan.co.uk/

Connect with us:

Tima Patel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinapatel/

Bart Kolosowski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartkolosowski/

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com/

What decisions shape the success of a home build?

A residential project can take three to four years, yet many of the most important decisions happen long before construction begins.

In this episode we walk through the entire project journey, from setting the brief and budget through to selecting the design team, securing planning approval, tendering contractors, and managing the construction phase. At each stage we highlight where projects typically start to drift and what good practice looks like when the process is followed properly.

We also discuss contractor procurement, the risks of poor documentation, how delays and redesigns occur during construction, and why rushing completion often causes unnecessary problems.

Follow the process properly and the project is set up for success. Ignore it and the consequences can be expensive.

“Starting a project without a brief is like a road trip without a destination." - Bart Kolosowski

You’ll hear about:

• Why projects start without clear briefs
• The risk of vague project budgets
• Choosing consultants based only on price
• Why early design exploration matters
• Planning approvals and hidden delays
• Conversations that shape construction costs
• Tendering mistakes that derail projects
• Vetting contractors before comparing price
• Why documentation quality is critical
• Construction delays caused by late decisions
• The risks of rushing project completion
• Why proper handover and training matters

Connect with us:

Tima Patel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinapatel/

Bart Kolosowski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartkolosowski/

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com/

Do you know what actually changes the moment you get the keys?

Handover feels like the finish line, but for most homeowners it marks the start of a process they have never been prepared for.

We cover everything that happens at the point of practical completion: what the term legally means, why the contract administrator holds the only authority to issue it, and what changes hands the moment that certificate is signed.

We walk through the O&M manual, client training, snagging timelines, and the rectification period, including the critical distinction most homeowners get wrong between a defect the contractor must fix and maintenance you own.

We also cover final account settlement, when retention is released, and why rushing a contractor to finish before Christmas consistently produces worse outcomes, higher costs, and damaged relationships.

Get this stage wrong and you risk insurance gaps, contractor claims, and years of unresolved defects. Get it right and the contract closes cleanly on your terms.

“It's a legal change, not just getting the keys." — Bart Kolosowski

You’ll hear about:

• What practical completion legally means
• Why clients can't issue it themselves
• Insurance and liability at handover
• O&M manuals: what's actually useful
• Training clients to use their building
• Snagging: who does it and when
• The Christmas deadline trap
• Rectification period vs. long-term defect liability
• Why you can't refuse the contractor to fix defects
• Traffic light system for defect response times
• Final account settlement and retention release
• Moving in early: the real financial risk

Connect with us:

Tima Patel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinapatel/

Bart Kolosowski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartkolosowski/

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com/

Is your build being managed, or just happening?

The build phase feels like the moment everything finally comes to life. But without the right management structure in place, it's also where home builds quietly unravel.

We cover who is responsible for what once work starts on site, why 80% of disputes trace back to decisions made at tender, and why the Contract Administrator works for the contract, not the client.

We also look at the client's own responsibilities during the build, including why slow decisions and late payments are more damaging than most homeowners realise.

Get this right and your project runs to time and budget. Get it wrong and the fallout is expensive and very hard to undo.

"Design is an evolution, even when you get to site." – Tina Patel

You’ll hear about:

• Why management starts before site begins
• The layered construction management structure
• Who the Contract Administrator works for
• Why only the CA can instruct changes
• The real cost of late design decisions
• Design resource gaps during the build phase
• When to appoint a project or design manager
• The client’s responsibilities during construction
• Why paying contractors on time matters
• How retention works on JCT contracts
• Key JCT terms defined plainly

Connect with us:

Tima Patel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinapatel/

Bart Kolosowski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartkolosowski/

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com/

Is your contractor selection process setting your project up to fail?

The assumption is that once you've found a builder and agreed a price, the hard part is over.

Between us, we've spent 40 years on high-value residential projects, and contractor selection is consistently the decision clients underestimate most. In this episode, we break down why choosing on price and gut feeling is a costly mistake, and how a structured process, started months before tender, changes the outcome.

We cover procurement strategy, proper vetting (including financials and older completed projects), why a professional reference outweighs a client one, and what a bulletproof tender package looks like.

Get this right and you'll appoint a contractor suited to your project who's priced it properly. Get it wrong and you risk an unfinished site and a bill far larger than the one you started with.

"Contractors are custodians of your house for a period of time." – Tina Patel

You’ll hear about:

• Why contractor selection is often rushed
• Starting procurement before planning permission
• Defining your procurement strategy early
• What contractor's design portions mean
• Building the right tender strategy document
• Scoring tenders beyond price alone
• How to vet contractors properly
• Checking contractor financial health
• Visiting older completed projects
• Why professional references outweigh client ones
• How long pricing takes
• Keeping momentum after appointment

Connect with us:

Tima Patel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tinapatel/

Bart Kolosowski - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartkolosowski/

Produced by Between Tracks - https://www.betweentracks.com/