Independent, fixed-fee planning feasibility studies for homeowners, developers, landowners and architects across England.
We review planning policy, site constraints, planning history and the likely route forward before you spend money on drawings, surveys or a full application.
A Planning Feasibility Study, also called a Site Appraisal, is a professional desktop review carried out by a Chartered Town Planner.
Before you pay for architects, planning drawings or surveys, we assess whether your idea is actually achievable under current planning policy.
We research your specific site, your council's Local Plan, national planning policy, relevant planning history and site-specific constraints, then give you a plain-English verdict you can act on.
Think of it as a planning MOT for your site — identifying problems and opportunities before they cost you money.
A feasibility appraisal should do more than reproduce planning policies. It should explain how the planning framework applies to the site, which matters are likely to influence a future decision and whether the development concept is proportionate to the opportunities and constraints.
The scope is tailored to the proposal. The matters below are considered where relevant, using the information available through a desktop review. Where a specialist technical assessment is needed, we identify that as part of the recommended next steps.
We review the adopted development plan, relevant national policy, neighbourhood planning policies and material emerging Local Plan provisions. This helps establish whether the proposed use or development has a policy basis and where exceptions or planning balance arguments may be required.
Previous permissions, refusals, enforcement history and appeal decisions can reveal how the authority has approached the site. We also consider relevant nearby decisions where they provide useful context, while recognising that each proposal must be assessed on its own facts.
The location of a site can be central to the planning strategy. We assess whether it lies within a defined settlement, open countryside, Green Belt, safeguarded land or another policy designation and explain how this affects the principle and likely route forward.
We consider the surrounding pattern of development, local character, scale, density and likely relationships with neighbouring property. This can influence the design brief, including height, layout, separation distances, outlook, privacy and potential overbearing effects.
At a strategic level, we review access arrangements, visibility, parking, servicing, likely vehicle movements and connections to local services and sustainable transport. We identify where highway drawings, transport evidence or specialist advice may be needed.
We identify listed buildings, Conservation Areas, scheduled monuments and other heritage considerations that may affect the principle, scale or design of development. The review also considers whether a Heritage Statement or specialist assessment is likely to be required.
We review readily available flood mapping, drainage information and environmental designations. This helps identify possible sequential issues, surface water constraints and the need for more detailed technical evidence before an application is prepared.
The appraisal can flag protected habitats, ecological designations, important trees and the potential relevance of biodiversity net gain. We do not replace an ecologist or arboricultural consultant, but we identify where their evidence may affect feasibility, layout or cost.
We recommend the most proportionate planning route and identify likely supporting documents. This may include full planning permission, outline permission, prior approval, a Lawful Development Certificate, pre-application engagement or longer-term Local Plan promotion.
The conclusion brings the assessment together in plain English. It explains the strongest opportunities, the principal risks, whether the proposal should proceed in its current form and what should happen before further money is committed.
Our report is designed to help you decide whether to proceed, revise the concept, seek further evidence, approach the council or avoid unnecessary expenditure on a proposal with significant unresolved planning risk.
Move each slider to see how different planning constraints can change the planning position. The tool illustrates common issues that may need to be reviewed before an application is prepared.
The site is allocated for development or located within a settlement or development boundary.
The site is not located within the Green Belt.
No nearby listed buildings or Conservation Area constraints are apparent.
The site appears to be within Flood Zone 1 with no obvious surface water constraints.
The proposal appears unlikely to result in significant overlooking, overshadowing or overbearing effects.
Existing access appears suitable with no obvious visibility, parking or highway safety issues.
Cedar Planning provides professional desktop planning reviews for development proposals across England. We assess planning policy, history, Green Belt, flood risk, heritage, residential amenity, access and the likely route towards planning permission.
Request a Professional Site AppraisalArchitectural drawings, ecology surveys, transport work, drainage assessments and other technical reports can represent a significant investment. Some of that work may ultimately be required, but it is often sensible to establish the broad planning position before commissioning the full application package.
Early planning research can reveal issues that materially affect the design brief. A site that initially appears capable of accommodating several homes may be constrained by an important landscape gap, heritage setting, access limitation, flood zone, protected habitat or local policy requirement. Equally, planning history or a relevant appeal decision may identify a more positive route than first assumed.
A planning feasibility study can therefore help architects and clients start with a more informed brief. Rather than preparing a design and then trying to defend it against planning constraints, the design can respond to policy, context and likely decision-making issues from the outset.
The output should provide a clear professional view rather than a list of policies with no conclusion. Cedar Planning explains what the planning framework means for the specific site and proposal, where the important risks lie and what should happen next.
The advice may conclude that the proposal has a reasonable basis and can move towards design and an application. It may recommend reducing the scale, changing the use, repositioning development, retaining important site features or gathering more evidence before committing to a formal submission.
For more complex or sensitive sites, the recommendation may be to seek formal pre-application advice from the local planning authority. The feasibility study can help define the questions to ask and ensure that a pre-application submission focuses on the issues that genuinely require an officer view.
Where a site has longer-term potential but is not currently supported by policy, the appropriate route may involve a Local Plan representation, call for sites submission or strategic land promotion rather than an immediate planning application.
Feasibility studies can be proportionate to a wide range of projects. For a homeowner, the question may be whether a new dwelling, annexe, replacement home or substantial extension is realistic. For a landowner or developer, the assessment may consider residential capacity, redevelopment, infill, rural development or a longer-term land promotion strategy.
Architects and designers also use early planning input to test a client's brief before significant design work begins. Planning and design are most effective when they develop together: the appraisal identifies the planning parameters, while the architect tests how an attractive and functional scheme can respond to them.
Commercial feasibility work can consider changes of use, mixed-use development, leisure proposals, employment premises and the planning implications of operational requirements. Heritage and rural sites may require additional care because the principle of development and the evidence required can depend heavily on context.
The process is designed to provide useful planning direction without requiring the full level of information normally prepared for a planning application.
Provide the address or location plan, the development being considered and any existing drawings or relevant background information.
We assess policy, planning history, mapped constraints, the surrounding context and relevant decisions where they assist the appraisal.
You receive a site-specific appraisal explaining opportunities, risks, likely requirements and our professional view on the route forward.
The recommendation may be to proceed, refine the concept, seek council advice, obtain targeted evidence or avoid further expenditure.
The two services can complement one another, but they are not the same. A private feasibility appraisal can help you decide whether, when and how to approach the council.
Confidential, client-focused advice that can be obtained at a very early stage, before a detailed design package has been prepared.
An early officer view from the local planning authority. The fee, information requirements, response time and level of detail vary between councils and according to the scale of development.
A useful appraisal should not force every opportunity towards the same outcome. The recommendation is tailored to the planning position and the client's objectives.
The principle appears supportable and the next step is to develop the design, commission the necessary reports and prepare an application.
The opportunity has potential, but the scale, use, layout, access or design brief should change before further work is commissioned.
A key uncertainty requires specialist input, council feedback or targeted evidence before the route forward can be confirmed.
The policy conflict or planning risk is sufficiently significant that further expenditure on the current proposal may not be justified.
Cedar Planning is led by RTPI-qualified Chartered Town Planners, bringing hands-on experience across residential, commercial and heritage development. We work across England, with particular depth in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and the East of England.
Professional planning advice from a consultancy led by Chartered members of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
We are upfront where an application has weak prospects or where the evidence does not justify further expenditure.
The scope and professional fee are agreed before work begins so you can budget and make an informed decision.
Our reports do not stop at identifying constraints. We explain how the proposal could respond and what should happen next.
These answers provide general guidance. The scope and reliability of a feasibility assessment depend on the site, proposal and information available.
The exact scope is agreed before work begins. A desktop appraisal commonly reviews the development plan, national policy, planning history, relevant site designations, known constraints, surrounding development context and the likely planning route.
The written advice identifies the principal opportunities, risks and likely application requirements before providing a clear recommendation on the next step. Specialist technical assessments, measured surveys, architectural design and detailed financial viability work are separate unless expressly included.
The terms are often used interchangeably. Both usually describe an early review of a site's planning potential, constraints and likely route towards development. The important point is the agreed scope and whether the advice provides a site-specific conclusion rather than only reproducing policy information.
No. A feasibility study is a professional planning opinion based on the information available at the time. A future application will be determined on the submitted scheme, consultation responses, planning policy and other material considerations.
Its value is in identifying risk early, improving the strategy and helping you make a more informed decision before committing to the full cost of an application.
Not always. For many initial appraisals, a site address or location plan and a clear description of the development being considered are enough to begin. Existing sketches or concept drawings are useful where they are already available.
Where prospects depend heavily on a particular layout, height, access arrangement or relationship with neighbouring property, more design information may be needed before a reliable view can be given.
The standard feasibility service is normally a desktop planning appraisal. A site visit can be quoted separately where the scale, visibility, physical characteristics or complexity of the site mean that an inspection would materially improve the advice.
Timescales depend on the size and complexity of the site, the amount of planning history and the scope agreed. We provide an expected delivery date with the quotation. Straightforward desktop appraisals can usually be completed more quickly than strategic or heavily constrained site reviews.
The professional fee depends on the site, proposal, number of development options and depth of research required. Cedar Planning provides a fixed-fee quotation before work begins.
A small residential appraisal will generally require less work than an assessment involving a large site, extensive planning history, emerging Local Plan issues or multiple development scenarios.
It may provide an initial planning view on a realistic range or development principles, but precise capacity often requires architectural testing. Access, layout, landscape, trees, drainage, heritage, ecology, amenity, open space and local character may all influence the number and form of homes that can be accommodated.
Yes. Early planning due diligence can identify policy constraints, planning history and risks that may affect development potential or the assumptions supporting a purchase. This can inform negotiations, option agreements, conditional contracts or a decision not to proceed.
A planning appraisal is not a valuation, legal title review, environmental due diligence report or guarantee of development value.
The next step depends on the recommendation. You may proceed to design and a planning application , seek council pre-application advice, obtain specialist survey work or revise the development brief.
Cedar Planning can continue to support the project through strategy, coordination with the design team, preparation of a Planning Statement and application management where required.
Send us the site address, a location plan if available and a short summary of the development you are considering. We will provide an honest initial view and a clear fixed-fee quotation for the appropriate level of appraisal.
Planning feasibility advice is a professional opinion based on the information available at the time of the assessment. It does not guarantee planning permission or replace architectural, legal, valuation, engineering, environmental or other specialist advice. The scope of each appraisal is confirmed in the quotation, and further surveys or investigations may be recommended where relevant.
Stop guessing and start planning with confidence. Fill out the form below for a fixed-fee quote for your site appraisal.