Services
Honesty Planning specialises in: master planning; estate reviews; property and operational 'recovery' strategies; property-related business planning; project programmes & cost plans; planning applications; heritage Architecture; grant applications with supporting business cases; representations regarding Local Development Plans and dealing with all aspects of planning appeals or 'call-ins' including advocacy at Public Inquiries and Hearings.
Honesty Planning typically uses tried and tested methods & protocols to assemble a bespoke team to exactly match the needs of each project. Some small to medium-sized schemes may be dealt with entirely in-house; others require additional support from external, expert consultants. Each project typically has unique characteristics and unique challenges. So each project deserves a unique response and tailor-made solutions.
The experience of staff over many years has involved the development of sites adjacent to water, including rivers and flood plains. For example, in Cardiff Bay, Barry, Deeside, Abercynon, Cwm Cynon, Ipswich Wet Dock and Merthyr Vale. Traditionally the strategic designs for such sites might be dealt with internally. But with the spectres of climate change in general and flood risk in particular, the need to assess flood risks and to prepare Flood Consequences Assessments (required by TAN 15 in Wales) has meant an increasing need for complex and protracted computer modelling as a means of predicting the finer details of how, exactly, a particular site might flood in extreme events (e.g. a flood that is only likely to occur once in 1000 years). Once a computer model representing topographical and flooding characteristics has been created, different potential events are tested and considered. Such tests are typically undertaken by specialist hydrological engineers and then the outputs are evaluated by NRW in Wales, or the Environment Agency in England.
Where specific remedial or improvement works are necessary to listed buildings or structures, then a specialist - local - Conservation Architect will typically be chosen to deal with matters of inspection and specification, and to liaise with clients and relevant authorities for each location around the UK.
Where a development site also includes riverbanks, trees and mature vegetation, the services of an expert ecologist will invariably be needed, either to confirm that no European Protected Species (e.g. otters; bats) are present nearby, or if such protected species are present, then to design appropriate mitigation measures such as artificial holts for otters and bespoke boxes for bats.
