Birmingham Planning Consultant
Chartered advice for Birmingham developers, homes and appeals
Birmingham City Council is one of the busiest planning authorities in England. Cedar Planning is a Chartered Town Planning consultancy that knows how those rules are applied, and we have won a Birmingham planning appeal on exactly that point. Read the case study.
We are led by Dan Malloy MRTPI and work with homeowners, architects, landlords, investors and developers across Birmingham. You deal directly with the Chartered Planner doing the work, and every instruction is quoted as a fixed fee before we start.
- RTPI Chartered
- Fixed-fee quotations
- Birmingham appeal allowed 2026
Planning in Birmingham
Birmingham is a city of many different places. The city centre, Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter are changing fast, with offices, workshops and shops being turned into homes. Inner suburbs such as Moseley, Kings Heath, Harborne and Edgbaston are dominated by Victorian and Edwardian houses, conservation areas and a large rental market. Further out, Sutton Coldfield and the northern edge of the city sit beside Green Belt, while suburbs such as Brandwood, Northfield, Erdington and Yardley see a steady flow of householder extensions, loft conversions and small infill schemes.
Applications are decided by Birmingham City Council against the Birmingham Development Plan, which was adopted in January 2017 and runs to 2031. Its policies on place-making (PG3), the historic environment (TP12), sustainable neighbourhoods (TP27) and the type, size and density of new housing (TP30) come up again and again in our work. The council is now replacing the plan with a new Birmingham Local Plan looking ahead to 2044, with a target of at least 87,700 new homes. Until it is adopted the 2017 plan remains the starting point, but emerging policy carries more weight as it moves through examination, so we design schemes with both in mind.
The detailed rules sit in supplementary guidance. The Birmingham Design Guide adopted in September 2022, shapes how extensions, new homes and neighbouring relationships are judged, and the council’s HMO guidance, adopted in April 2022, controls shared housing. Getting these right at the start is usually the difference between approval, delay and refusal.
Case study: Birmingham planning appeal allowed
In 2026 Birmingham City Council refused a ground floor side and rear extension in Brandwood because it did not meet the 45-degree code. Cedar Planning took the refusal to appeal. The Planning Inspector agreed that a technical conflict with the code does not, by itself, justify refusal, looked at the real effect on daylight, sunlight and outlook, and allowed the appeal on 10 August 2026. Read the Birmingham 45-degree rule appeal case study.
If your own application has been refused, see our planning appeal service in Birmingham or send us the decision notice for an honest view of your prospects. Our guide on how to win a planning appeal explains what Inspectors look for.
Birmingham planning issues
Extensions are tested against the neighbour’s nearest habitable-room window. A technical breach is not always decisive, as our Brandwood appeal showed.
Since 8 June 2020 a small HMO for three to six people needs planning permission anywhere in Birmingham.
The Jewellery Quarter, Moseley, Edgbaston, Bournville and other historic areas bring Policy TP12 into play.
Land around Sutton Coldfield and the city edge is Green Belt, with strict tests for new development.
How we help in Birmingham
Each service can be instructed on its own, or we can manage a project from first appraisal to decision.
Planning Appeals
Appeals against refusals, conditions and non-determination by Birmingham City Council, prepared and managed through to the Inspector’s decision.
View serviceHMO Planning
Applications for new HMOs under Birmingham’s city-wide Article 4 Direction, and lawful use evidence for existing HMOs.
View servicePlanning Applications
Full, change of use and residential applications, including planning statements and design and access statements.
View serviceHouseholder Applications
Extensions, lofts, outbuildings and porches argued against the 45-degree code, the Design Guide and local character, with a clear view of the risks before you submit.
View serviceClass MA Prior Approval
Feasibility advice and prior approval applications for converting shops and offices into flats, in the city centre and local high streets.
View serviceHeritage Statements
Proportionate assessments for listed buildings and conservation areas, including the Jewellery Quarter, Moseley and Edgbaston.
View serviceFeasibility Studies
Pre-purchase appraisals that test what a building or site can deliver before you commit.
View serviceLawful Development Certificates
Proof that an existing use or development is lawful, or that your proposal is permitted development.
View serviceLocal issues that shape Birmingham decisions
The 45-degree code
Birmingham tests extensions by drawing a line at 45 degrees from the nearest habitable-room window of a neighbour. Crossing it is often the reason for refusal, but it is a guide, not an absolute rule. Height, orientation, boundary screening and the real effect on light and outlook all matter, as our Brandwood appeal showed. See loss of light objections for how daylight and sunlight are judged.
City-wide HMO Article 4 Direction
Since 8 June 2020, changing a family house into a small HMO for three to six unrelated people needs planning permission anywhere in Birmingham. Applications are assessed against the council’s HMO guidance, which looks closely at concentration, amenity, parking and room sizes. Our HMO Article 4 guide explains the wider rules, and the minimum space standards calculator helps test room sizes.
Conservation areas and listed buildings
Birmingham has a rich historic environment, from the Jewellery Quarter to Victorian suburbs and garden-city estates such as Bournville. Policy TP12 protects designated assets and their settings, and even small changes can need a heritage statement. Applications that treat heritage as an afterthought are the ones most likely to stall.
Conversions and change of use
Many Birmingham shops, offices and upper floors are suited to residential use. Class MA permitted development can allow conversion to flats without full planning permission if the building qualifies, but the prior approval matters, including flood risk, noise, natural light and conservation area impact, still have to be satisfied. We secured Class MA approval for six flats in a conservation area on the first submission: see the Leamington Spa case study. Where Class MA is not available, a full application or a sequential test may be the better route.
Green Belt
Land around Sutton Coldfield and the edges of the city is Green Belt, where extensions must not be disproportionate to the original building and new development faces strict tests. Our guide to extending a house in the Green Belt explains how proportionality is judged.
Key policy areas we navigate
Place-making and design quality in new development.
The historic environment, including conservation areas and listed buildings.
Sustainable neighbourhoods, and the type, size and density of new housing.
Adopted September 2022, including the 45-degree code for extensions.
Adopted April 2022, applied alongside the city-wide Article 4 Direction.
Who we work with
Landlords and investors buying, converting or regularising HMOs and flats: HMO planning permission and converting a house into flats.
Developers and landowners testing sites and promoting land: developer services and strategic land promotion.
Homeowners extending, converting lofts or building garden rooms and annexes: householder planning applications and annexe and garden room advice.
Architects and designers who want a planning view before drawings are finalised: planning support for architects.
Areas we cover in Birmingham
We advise on sites across the whole of Birmingham City Council’s area, including the city centre, Digbeth, the Jewellery Quarter, Edgbaston, Harborne, Selly Oak, Moseley, Kings Heath, Brandwood, Hall Green, Yardley, Erdington, Handsworth, Northfield, Bournville and Sutton Coldfield.
A Consultancy That Works With You, For You
We have taken a Birmingham refusal to appeal and won it by dealing with the council’s own guidance on its merits. Start with our free 15-minute telephone consultation.
Not sure where to start? Pre-application advice can test a scheme with the council first, and if you have already been refused, read what to do when planning is refused.
RTPI Chartered
Led by a Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute with more than ten years of public and private-sector planning experience.
Honest Prospects
A realistic view of the risks and options before you spend time or money, including when we think an appeal or application will not succeed.
Fixed, Transparent Fees
A fixed fee agreed before work starts, so you know the cost from the outset.
Direct Access
You deal with the Chartered Planner doing the work, not an account manager. We work with Birmingham City Council and the Planning Inspectorate directly, and arrange site visits when a project needs them.
Planning Consultants Across the West Midlands
We also work across the wider West Midlands. See our pages for Warwickshire, Leamington Spa and Warwick and Lichfield, where we secured permission for a new dwelling (read the Lichfield case study), and our guides to Walsall and Wolverhampton call for sites. Browse all locations.
Birmingham Planning FAQs
What does a planning consultant in Birmingham do?
A planning consultant works out whether a proposal is likely to be approved, chooses the best route (householder application, full application, prior approval, lawful development certificate or appeal), prepares the submission and deals with Birmingham City Council on your behalf. Our guide to the role of a planning consultant explains more.
What is Birmingham’s 45-degree code?
It is a test in the Birmingham Design Guide used to judge whether an extension harms the light and outlook of a neighbour’s habitable-room windows. A line is drawn at 45 degrees from the nearest window. Failing it often leads to refusal, but our Brandwood appeal shows that a technical breach is not always decisive. See the case study.
Do I need planning permission for a small HMO in Birmingham?
Yes. A city-wide Article 4 Direction has applied since 8 June 2020, so changing a house to an HMO for three to six unrelated people needs planning permission, and larger HMOs always have. Read our HMO Article 4 guide or HMO planning service.
My Birmingham planning application was refused. What can I do?
You can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, usually within 12 weeks for a householder refusal and six months for most other refusals, or amend and resubmit. We review the decision notice and officer report and tell you which route is stronger. See planning appeals in Birmingham.
Can I convert an office or shop in Birmingham into flats without full planning permission?
Often, through Class MA prior approval, if the building and scheme qualify and the matters reserved to the council are satisfied. We can assess this before you buy. See our Class MA guide and a worked example.
Do I need a heritage statement in Birmingham?
If the property is listed, in a conservation area or affects the setting of a heritage asset, almost certainly. That covers much of the Jewellery Quarter, Moseley, Edgbaston and Bournville. See our heritage statements service.
Which local plan applies in Birmingham?
The Birmingham Development Plan 2031, adopted in January 2017, remains the development plan. The council is preparing a new Birmingham Local Plan to 2044 and expects to submit it for examination in late 2026. We check both when preparing an application.
How much does a Birmingham planning consultant cost?
We quote a fixed fee for each instruction after a short conversation about the property and your aims. There is no hourly billing, and the scope and fee are agreed before work starts. Contact us for a quote.
Do you visit sites in Birmingham?
Yes, when a project needs it. Cedar Planning is based in Norfolk and works across England. Much of the work, including liaison with the council, can be done remotely, and visits are arranged as part of the instruction.
Talk to a planning consultant with a proven track record in Birmingham
Tell us about your property or refusal and we will give you an honest view of the likely route and a fixed fee.
Or email us at info@cedarplanning.co.uk with the relevant information, or book a free 15-minute call.
Tell us about your Birmingham property, whether it is a refusal to appeal, an HMO, a Class MA conversion or a home extension.