At Harry & Sons, our consultancy offers strategic, expert-led planning services across the development lifecycle.
From tailored advice on planning applications to the preparation of robust planning statements, design and access statements, and feasibility studies, we support projects from concept to submission.
Our enforcement specialism allows us to guide clients through complex breaches with discretion and authority, including listed building contraventions and injunctions.
We provide clarity on national and local policy, and advise on Section 106 obligations and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) implications, ensuring schemes are commercially viable and policy-compliant. Whether shaping early-stage design or navigating sensitive planning negotiations, our insight-driven approach ensures every proposal is both deliverable and defensible.
Planning Applications
Confident planning begins with the right expertise. Our planning consultants bring national-level experience grounded in local knowledge to deliver tailored strategies for clients across residential, commercial, and mixed-use development. We’ve secured approvals at all scales — from modest infill to complex urban regeneration — through a focused, pragmatic, and highly responsive approach.
Precision-led planning documentation -we prepare Design & Access Statements, Feasibility Studies, and Planning Statements that are both technically robust and commercially realistic. Every submission is informed by insight into local authority expectations, cultural sensitivities, and the practicalities of scheme delivery. Collaboration that builds stronger outcomes - We help assemble and manage the right professional team — from architects and ecologists to transport and heritage consultants. Our consultative style extends to engagement with local stakeholders where appropriate, helping secure support and build trust.
We provide clear, commercial advice through negotiation, from pre-application discussions through to planning conditions, we guide clients through key negotiations with clarity and confidence. This includes handling Section 106 obligations and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions, ensuring schemes remain viable while meeting statutory requirements. Complex projects are welcome, whether your site is greenfield or brownfield, new-build or adaptive reuse, we tailor our approach to deliver results that are both ambitious and deliverable. Where needed, we can draw on in-house enforcement expertise to address historic or ongoing planning risks.
Planning Enforcement Specialism
Planning enforcement is one of the most complex and least understood areas of the planning system. Many property owners only become aware of a breach when contacted by their local authority — often by way of a formal warning letter or an Enforcement Notice. These can relate to a wide range of issues, from unauthorised extensions and changes of use to breaches involving listed buildings, conservation areas, or protected land.
Our enforcement specialists act with clarity and discretion, whether you are dealing with a suspected breach or have already received formal enforcement action, we provide expert advice on your legal position and immediate next steps. We regularly support clients in preparing and submitting retrospective planning applications, negotiating alternative solutions with local authorities, or assembling the documentation needed to regularise development.
We work on enforcement matters across the full spectrum — from householders facing minor breaches to developers and businesses dealing with complex, multi-layered cases. Our experience includes temporary stop notices, planning contravention notices, breach of condition notices, injunctions, listed building enforcement, Article 4 Direction matters, conservation area restrictions, and prosecutions.
If you've received an Enforcement Notice, time is critical. We guide clients through the appeals process with strategic, well-evidenced submissions and clear representation before the Planning Inspectorate. We can also coordinate expert input on heritage, ecology, and structural matters where required to support your appeal or regularisation strategy.
Our approach is grounded in resolving issues early, before they escalate, but we’re equally equipped to intervene mid-process to manage risk and secure the best possible outcome. With a background in enforcement and compliance, we understand how local planning authorities operate and use this insight to safeguard your property, your investment, and your reputation
Planning Policy
Planning policy forms the backbone of all planning decisions. Whether you're proposing a householder extension, a large-scale mixed-use development, or a change of use in a conservation area, understanding how your proposal aligns with national, regional, and local policy is essential for securing approval — and avoiding delays.
We offer in-depth policy analysis and strategic guidance from the outset. Our specialists are well-versed in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), Local Plans, London Plan, Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs), and Article 4 Directions. This allows us to interpret how policy applies to your site’s specific constraints and opportunities, providing clear, actionable advice on how to maximise your project’s potential.
We prepare and review key documentation — including Planning Statements, Design & Access Statements, and policy justification reports — that are vital in demonstrating policy compliance. Our team ensures that your application speaks the language of planning officers and decision-makers, strengthening your case from the start.
For clients with interests in shaping emerging policy, we assist with formal representations to Local Plans and other consultation processes. Our experts can appear at Examinations in Public, helping you to promote preferred allocations or influence draft policies that affect your sites or investments.
With a deep understanding of local political, environmental, and spatial contexts, we identify the most appropriate planning strategy for your scheme — including identifying where flexibility exists in interpretation or where policy is out of date. We also advise on compliance with site-specific planning obligations such as Section 106 agreements, Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) liabilities, and sustainability targets.
By integrating policy advice early in the design process, we ensure that architects, developers, and landowners are equipped to deliver schemes that are not only visionary but also viable and policy-compliant. This reduces risk, improves viability, and sets a strong foundation for planning succes
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