What is the process involved in designing a Paragraph 84 house?

Whilst the process of designing any new home requires an experienced professional and a clear Brief, a Paragraph 84 home requires much more intensive design input, usually from a range of professionals and not just a good architect.

As the designs need to be sensitive to the specific site, it is likely that the services of an experience Planning Consultant and Landscape Architect will be required. Additional input from structural engineers may be required, in addition to the usual range of professionals who provide arboricultural reports, ecology reports and others, depending on the requirements of the local planning authority.

Lomas and Mitchell Architects work with a small group of highly skilled professionals who are experts in both private residential and Paragraph 84 projects and we are all experienced in working on custom designs which are bespoke to our clients.

Once a site has been assessed for its suitability for a Paragraph 84 project, a design team is assembled and initial design concepts are developed. Testing these concepts through an independent Design Review Panel is a worthwhile investment as it gives the local planning authority some comfort, particularly in terms of design quality. It is not uncommon for a Review Panel to look at a project more than once, at different stages.

A Paragraph 84 project is not for the faint hearted! It can take two years or more to achieve a planning approval and can cost many tens of thousands of pounds, just to make a planning submission. This is a project for those with design vision and a real commitment to excellence in architectural design. There are no guarantees, even with a thorough and experienced design team, so clients need to be aware of the risks before embarking on a Paragraph 84 project. That said, it is a hugely rewarding and exciting process for all concerned.