Unleashing Innovative Solutions to
Your Planning Problems
Having worked in planning for so long I am the first to accept it can be frustrating, over bureaucratic and incredibly slow.
There are good reasons for that but there are also ways to work within the system and still achieve what you hope for.
With over two decades of dedicated experience in the intricate world of planning, I bring a wealth of expertise to the table. Having served across various councils in Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Kent, and Norfolk, including a tenure as a Chief Planning Officer, I understand the nuanced challenges inherent in navigating the planning landscape.
My journey began long before I delved into planning, honing my skills in problem-solving roles that demanded innovative thinking and a penchant for challenging conventional wisdom. I firmly believe that the status quo isn’t always the best path forward, and my tenure reflects a history of breaking barriers and finding solutions beyond the ordinary.
My time as an Associate Partner in a private mixed practice in Oxfordshire provided invaluable insights into both sides of the planning equation. Collaborating seamlessly with surveyors and architects, I ensured that the focus remained on securing planning permissions, even amidst differing perspectives. This ability to understand and navigate the complexities from all angles is what sets me apart in delivering tailored solutions for my clients.
As a firm believer in giving back to the profession, I’ve dedicated myself to nurturing the next generation of planners, surveyors, and solicitors through lectures in universities and mentoring programs like the RTPI’s Leadership Nurture scheme. My passion for planning extends beyond professional endeavours, and I take pride in instilling this enthusiasm in others, ensuring a legacy of excellence in the field.
Regardless of the scale or complexity of the project, I approach each client’s application with the same level of dedication and care. From multi-million-pound developments to modest home extensions, I treat each endeavour as if it were my own family’s application, ensuring that your vision receives the attention and commitment it deserves.
I have 100% success with appeals in Public Inquiries, Informal Hearings and Written Representations, acting for both Local Authorities and private clients. I have also regularly given evidence in the Courts, being praised by Justice Ouseley for the manner in which I had explained a complex history of over 50 years of planning breaches.
I am the only planner in the country to have successfully put forward planning arguments to the Courts to prevent hotels, which were vital to the Council’s tourist economy, being used to house asylum seekers. This was even more relevant as, only a matter of weeks before, the same Judge had dismissed actions from other Councils who had tried to make the same arguments.
Following several unsuccessful applications and appeal decisions, my client instructed me. I was able to put forward a complex argument to demonstrate that the building in question, although dilapidated ,remained in lawful use as a dwelling. Once this had been approved I put forward a scheme to demolish this building (and the accompanying sheds) and replace it with a contemporary design family home.
I represented a veterinary surgeon who wanted to convert and expand existing buildings in the Green Belt to create a Centre of Excellence in terms of equine veterinary care and rehabilitation.
A neighbouring property had recently had an application for a fence turned down at appeal because of its impact on the openess of the Green Belt so we knew we had an uphill battle.
A comprehensive assessment and compelling argument was put to the Council resulting in unanimous support from the Planning Committee.
… that cause the most distress. A client had installed a number of very large windows into a refurbished extension on their old, but not Listed, home. Unfortunately the windows had marginally narrower window frames than those that had been approved.
The Planning Authority demanded that the windows were removed or face enforcement action.
I submitted a thorough argument that the difference in frame size, and its visibility from public vantage points was so small the Council should accept that it represented a non-material amendment. Eventually the Council agreed and all talk of enforcement action was stopped.
It is a fact of life that most people do not like change; I’m just the same. Sometimes change is inevitable but sometimes it is unacceptable.
The problems arise when people want to object to planning proposals that will affect them but they don’t know how. Sometimes its the complexity of the system and others its simply not understanding which effects the planners can take into account and which ones they are not allowed to.
I am a planner and very much pro-development, but that’s the right development in the right place. I am often asked to lodge objections on behalf of clients and, so long as I am comfortable professionally with their concerns I am happy to do so.
Silverback Planning Solutions Ltd
6 St Marys Cottages, Kirby Bedon
Norfolk. NR14 7DX
Company Registration Number: 15557818
