Home / Services / Planning Permission Support

Planning Permission Support

We are structural engineers, not planning agents. What we provide is the structural evidence a planning application leans on: whether the scheme can actually be built, and what it will take.

What we cover.

Planning permission decides whether you may build. Structural engineering decides whether you can. The two get confused often enough that schemes reach approval before anyone has asked whether the opening spans, whether the existing foundations take the extra storey, or whether the neighbour's wall is in the way. We look at that before the application goes in, not after.

Structural feasibility before an application
Constraints identified early: spans, foundations, ground
Structural input to a design and access statement
Coordination with your architect or planning consultant
Assessment of existing structures for change of use
Party wall and neighbouring structure awareness
Post-approval design and drawing package
Building Regulations submission once permission is granted

In detail

What planning permission support actually involves.

What planning does not answer

The question a planning drawing does not answer is whether the structure works. An architect can draw a five-metre opening across the rear of a house and a planning officer can approve it, because neither is assessing the load path. If the beam that opening needs is deeper than the ceiling void allows, or the padstone loads exceed what the existing masonry piers can carry, that is discovered at Building Regulations stage, after the permission is granted and the budget is set.

Before you apply

Our involvement before an application is deliberately light. We look at the proposed scheme against what the building actually is, tell you which parts are straightforward, which need a closer look and which will drive cost, and put that in writing. Where the answer depends on something nobody can see from a drawing, such as the foundation depth or the ground beneath it, we say so and set out what would settle the question.

Once permission is granted

Once permission is granted the work becomes ordinary structural design: a full design and drawing package, tied to the Eurocodes and the UK National Annex, prepared for Building Control and for the contractor who has to build it. Nothing in the planning stage commits you to using us for that, and we will say if a scheme does not need an engineer at all.

What we do not do

We do not submit planning applications, we do not act as your agent with the local authority and we do not advise on planning policy, design guides or the likelihood of approval. Those are a planning consultant's work and we will tell you when you need one.

How Lead Group helps

Before you apply we will tell you in writing which parts of the scheme are straightforward, which need a closer look and which will drive cost. Once permission is granted we produce the full design and drawing package for Building Control and for the contractor. Nothing at the early stage commits you to using us for the rest.

How we work

Do I need a structural engineer for planning permission?

Usually not for the application itself. Planning assesses use, appearance and impact, not structure, so most applications are prepared by an architect or planning consultant without an engineer. An engineer is worth involving beforehand where the scheme depends on something structural working, such as a wide opening, a removed wall, an extra storey or a change of use, because that is cheaper to find out before permission than after.

Structural feasibility, in writing
Constraints found before approval, not after
Full design and drawing package post-approval
Eurocodes and UK National Annexes

Not sure what you need?Send us your drawings, or just a photograph of the wall. We will tell you what is required and what it costs before you commit to anything.

Get a quote 020 3432 4186

Standards & codes

The codes behind planning permission support.

Eurocodes 0-9 & UK National Annexes

BS EN 1990 through BS EN 1999 govern the basis of design, actions, and the design of concrete, steel, timber, masonry and aluminium structures. Every calculation we issue references the relevant Eurocode part and its UK National Annex, and states which parts were applied.

Analysis, design & drafting software

Structural analysis and design in Tekla Tedds and Tekla Structural Designer, with Autodesk Robot, CSC Fastrak, CSC Portal Frame, MasterSeries and Hilti Profis used where a scheme suits them. Drawing production in AutoCAD, and modelling in Autodesk Revit where a project is delivered in BIM. Output is issued as readable calculations rather than raw software printouts, so a checker or a building control officer can follow the reasoning.

Approved Document A (Structure)

The Building Regulations requirement your local authority Building Control checks against. Our calculations and drawings are prepared to demonstrate compliance so your submission is accepted without back-and-forth.

Professional indemnity insured

Every report and calculation package is backed by professional indemnity cover, which is what lets a lender, Building Control or another engineer rely on it.

Process

From enquiry to sign-off.

Enquiry

Send drawings or describe the problem. We confirm the scope, the deliverables and a target timescale.

Information

We agree the survey, drawings or data we need and any site access required.

Engineering

Design, calculation or assessment to the relevant Eurocodes and UK National Annex.

Issue

A clear, defensible report or set of calculations, with assumptions and limitations stated.

Selected work

Real structures, surveyed and engineered.

All work →

Sport and recreationCharlton Athletic FC, The ValleyTwo steel monopitch stand roofs rising to 27 metres were assessed for a proposed solar PV installation. Both were cleared to carry the arrays as they stand, and the fragile roofs were surveyed entirely by drone with nobody working at height.

Read →

Manufacturing and industrialWienerberger, Tamworth

EducationCarlisle College

Film and mediaDragon Studios, Pencoed

Questions

Common questions

Do I need a structural engineer for planning permission?

Usually not for the application itself. Planning assesses use, appearance and impact rather than structure. An engineer is worth involving beforehand where the scheme depends on something structural working, because a problem found after approval is more expensive than one found before.

Can you submit my planning application?

No. We are structural engineers, not planning agents. We do not submit applications, act as your agent with the local authority or advise on planning policy. We provide the structural input, and we will tell you when you need a planning consultant.

What is the difference between planning permission and Building Regulations?

Planning permission decides whether you may build something, judged on use, appearance and impact on neighbours. Building Regulations approval decides whether what you build is safe and compliant, and that is where structural calculations are required. A scheme can hold planning permission and still fail Building Control.

Can you tell me if my scheme is buildable before I apply?

Yes, and that is the most useful point to ask. We look at the proposal against what the building actually is and set out in writing which parts are straightforward, which need a closer look and which will drive cost. Where the answer depends on something nobody can see, such as foundation depth, we say so.

What do I get once permission is granted?

A full design and drawing package: calculations, drawings and specification, tied to the relevant Eurocodes and Approved Document A, prepared for the Building Regulations submission and for the contractor building it.

Do you work with my architect?

Yes. Most of this work is done alongside an architect or planning consultant, and it goes better when we are talking to them early rather than being handed an approved scheme and asked to make it stand up.

Explore more