This is the second time we’ve used Planning By Design, and once again they delivered excellent service.
They were professional, responsive, and clear throughout the process, keeping everything on track and handling all the details carefully. Thanks to their expertise, we obtained planning permission smoothly and without any issues.
We highly recommend them for reliable and efficient planning services.
We are grateful to Planning By Design for their outstanding support throughout our planning permission application process. From the very beginning, their team was incredibly professional, responsive, and thorough. They took the time to carefully explain each step of the process, answered all of our questions promptly, and provided insightful advice to ensure our application met all necessary requirements.
What stood out the most was their consistent follow-up and proactive approach. They made sure everything was on track and handled all aspects of the application with great attention to detail. Thanks to their hard work and expertise, we were able to successfully obtain planning permission without any issues.
We highly recommend Planning By Design for anyone looking for reliable and efficient town planning services. Their dedication to their clients and professionalism made the entire process much smoother and stress-free.
Thank you so much for choosing Planning By Design and for your kind words.
It is always our goal to provide a 5* service at unbeatable prices, and feedback like this is rewarding and motivating for our whole team.
Of course, if you have any further questions or need help with anything else just let us know and we'll be glad to help.
Barry Davies2026.02.21
not recommends
Did only the very basic for alot of money , I got all measurements, details ect myself. no research or in depth information put forward. they sound brilliant until they get paid then very minimal interest.
Hi Sam, thank you so much for choosing Planning By Design and for your kind words.
It is always our goal to provide a 5* service at unbeatable prices, and feedback like this is rewarding and motivating for our whole team.
Of course, if you have any further questions or need help with anything else just let us know and we'll be glad to help.
ruqaya robins2026.02.17
Mark Read of Planning By Design has been amazing from the word go. We are at the first stages of having an extension built at the side of our house and Mark has explained the procedure in full detail. At first I was confused by several aspects of the process but every question, no matter how minor, has been attended to so far. I have full confidence that Planning By Design has been the right choice to make to satisfy all the requirements related to planning appraisal, building regulations, and structural engineering calculations. The company has already provided positive advice on the feasibility of the project for which I am grateful.
Hi Ruqaya, thank you for choosing Planning By Design and for your kind words.
It is always our goal to provide a 5* service at unbeatable prices, and feedback like this is rewarding and motivating for our whole team.
We're delighted you found our planning appraisal service helpful.
If you have any questions or need help with anything in the future, just let us know, and we'll be happy to help.
IL Palio Removals2026.02.17
Great service from Cerys with our change of use application (C3 to C2). Professional, kept me updated throughout, and made a complex process straightforward. Highly recommend.
Hi Marian, thank you so much for choosing Planning By Design and for your kind words.
It is always our goal to provide a 5* service at unbeatable prices, and feedback like this is rewarding and motivating for our whole team.
We're delighted to have helped you secure planning approval following a smooth application process.
Of course, we'll be delighted to assist you with building regulations or anything else you require moving forward.
Danni Hone2026.02.02
recommends
Planning by Design were amazing through the whole
Process of applying for a change of use. As first time business owners the amount of information and support we received helped immensely with reducing any stress related to the application. They were fast, efficient and very friendly. I would definitely recommend Planning by Design to any and everybody that is in need of help with a planning application!
Hi Danni, thank you so much for choosing Planning By Design and for your kind words.
It is always our goal to provide a 5* service at unbeatable prices, and feedback like this is rewarding and motivating for our whole team.
We're delighted to have helped you secure planning approval following a smooth application process.
Of course, we'll be delighted to assist you with building regulations or anything else you require moving forward.
Daniella Hone2026.02.02
Planning by Design were amazing through the whole
Process of applying for a change of use. As first time business owners the amount of information and support we received helped immensely with reducing any stress related to the application. They were fast, efficient and very friendly. I would definitely recommend Planning by Design to any and everybody that is in need of help with a planning application!
Said they offer a "no obligation free initial consultation". No such thing was offered - I received a call that lasted less than 60 sec and as I was busy at the time, I requested a call back at a later time while I sent across some details in the interim- they considered that 60 sec to be the free initial consult. I sent across high level info and just needed an initial chat with someone. I was asked to pay for a chat. What followed were some uselessly long generic (or AI generated) copy pasted email responses. In the time it took to correspond with them, I was able to get a very helpful initial consult with another vendor, whom I will be using for my loft conversion. Don't give the misleading offer of an initial consult if you're not going to provide it.
Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback, Ayesha — and I’m sorry you feel disappointed.
To clarify for anyone reading: we did provide the initial free, no-obligation consultation, and you received a call with Ryan to discuss your loft conversion at a high level and outline the usual routes and requirements.
Where there may have been a misunderstanding is what can realistically be covered for free. Accurate, site-specific planning advice (checking the relevant planning policies, planning history, constraints/designations, and then issuing clear next steps) typically takes 1–3 hours of professional research by a qualified Town Planner. That’s what our Planning Appraisal is for, and it’s a low-cost paid service.
Importantly, the Planning Appraisal fee is refunded/credited back if you go on to instruct us for any services — whether that’s drawings, planning applications, or Building Regulations support — so clients aren’t paying twice.
We’re proud of our service standards and outcomes — reflected in our 4.7/5 rating from 255 Google reviews — and we also offer a price-match guarantee, meaning we’ll beat any like-for-like written quote so customers can be confident they’re getting both the best service and the best value with Planning By Design.
They will not spare 5 mins for a simple call once they have your money - Stay clear!
PLEASE SAVE YOUR HARD-EARNED MONEY - STAY AWAY!
I wanted to look at what potential my field would have of gaining planning and found this company online.
From the first look of the website, it looked perfect, so I made contact and paid for a feasibility study.
This all looked positive and was advised to maybe look at a mixed development.
To put this work together cost my just short of 5k (this also included a 1 hr virtual appointment with the local planning which I was informed was the best way to see how the meeting was going and to redirect if they felt, so at least we can get something on the land) Which is fine as I thought this was a good company with lots of experience.
I got calls and emails going through the plans and was very happy. Then the plans went in and I had to pay over 1k to the council for the pre application.
This is where things started to go wrong!
The council came back and stated basically they don't look favourably on anything on this land "Planning by Design (PBD)" stated I had a medium to good chance to get something on the land)
I tried then to call PBD to talk to them about the next stages, KNOWBODY would pick up the phone or give me a call! eventually I got emails stating maybe to accept a £250 refund off the council.
I phoned and emailed at least 5 times if someone could give me a call
All I received back was emails stating they don’t have time to call me!
I asked to be put through to the director "Grant Singlehurst-Ward" From the very first email Grant was rude! Again, I asked Grant for a 5 min call, again an email back after chasing saying no calls!
But he did say give me more money and we can look at what they could do. At this point I knew this company doesn’t care once they have taken your money.
All I got back was read your T's &C's and they have done what I had paid for.
I informed Grant that I paid £300 for the virtual meeting and this was not carried out. I simply asked for this £300 to be paid back and we could go our separate ways. Again, after several emails Grant stated I was not getting anything back!
I went to this company as I had no idea of the process and wanted someone to work with to guide me through the process and help me understand the steps.
If the feasibility came back as Low risk, I would not have paid the extra 5K. In my opinion I was led a bit of a dream.
This latter part of the process as placed me under a lot of stress, and I wanted to put something in writing to try and help people in the same situation as myself not to fall for the dream and to be made aware this company led by Grant don't care about you as a person or willing to actually pick up a phone.
Even when you have said this process is making you feels ill!
PBD are all about taking your money. BE VERY CAREFULL and look somewhere else.
I will now be taking court proceedings to try and get at least some of my money back.
On saying the above I do feel that some of the team are good and decent people but unfortunately not led by people with the same morals!
Date of experience: 22 January, 2026
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“We are extremely happy with the services provided by this design and planning application company. From start to finish, they guided us professionally and patiently through every step, making the entire process smooth and stress-free. Their attention to detail, expertise, and dedication were outstanding. Thanks to their hard work, our outbuilding application was successfully approved. We highly recommend this company to anyone looking for reliable and professional support with design and planning applications!”
Hi Roman, thanks for choosing Planning By Design and for your kind words. It really means a lot to us.
Unfortunately, your predicament is very common. Many people assume an archtiect is all they need, however, they are only qualified in design but not planning, so the design might look great but be destined for refusal because it does not meet the required planning policies.
This is why we have both Chartered Architects and Chartered Town Planners in-house working on every application to give it the best chance of success.
We're delighted to have helped you secure approval following a smooth process.
If you have any further questions or need assistance with anything else, just let us know, and we'll be happy to help.
Roman Lazarenco2026.01.21
We are absolutely thrilled with the services provided by this design and planning application company. Our first application with another architect was unfortunately refused, which was very disappointing and stressful for us. When we approached this company for our second attempt, they guided us through the entire process with exceptional professionalism and attention to detail.
They carefully reviewed our plans, helped us make all the necessary adjustments, and submitted the application to Guildford Surrey Council on our behalf. Throughout the months of waiting, they kept us informed and reassured, making a very stressful process much more manageable.
Thanks to their dedication and expertise, we finally received the long-awaited approval for our outbuilding. Their work exceeded our expectations, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
We wholeheartedly recommend this company to anyone looking for reliable, professional, and highly skilled support with design and planning applications. They truly made a difficult process smooth and successful.
Hi Roman, thanks for choosing Planning By Design and for your kind words. It really means a lot to us.
Unfortunately, your predicament is very common. Many people assume an archtiect is all they need, however, they are only qualified in design but not planning, so the design might look great but be destined for refusal because it does not meet the required planning policies.
This is why we have both Chartered Architects and Chartered Town Planners in-house working on every application to give it the best chance of success.
We're delighted to have helped you secure approval following a smooth process.
If you have any further questions or need assistance with anything else, just let us know, and we'll be happy to help.
simon clarke2026.01.21
This Company gives clear and precise advice that allows me to understand the legislation around planning laws. I highly recommend this Company. The best £120 I ever spent that has served me thousands of pounds in investing in a property that I would not have been allowed to improve.
Hi Simon, thank you very much for choosing Planning By Design and for your kind words.
It's always disappointing for all when a project is not feasible but as you say, at least is has saved you thousands of pounds, or worse if you had bought a property that is unsuitable for development.
Of course, if you have any further questions or need help with any future projects please do let us know and we will be very happy to help.
Kish Agravat2026.01.21
Kim was on top of my project requirements. Always ready to help!
I wholeheartedly recommend
Hi Kishore, thank you so much for choosing Planning By Design and for your kind words.
It is always our goal to provide a 5* service at unbeatable prices, and feedback like this is rewarding and motivating for our whole team..
If you have any questions or need help with anything in the future, just let us know, and we'll be happy to help.
Stuart Towell2026.01.19
Honestly the experience has been outstanding from start to finish on my designs and application. Kim and Mislav were really helpful. I was able to ask all my questions get complete clarity on everything. I’m new to this so had a lot of questions. Nothing ever felt too much trouble. No question was treated as a silly question. Everything got approved by the council too. Such a smooth and easy process thank you so much! I guess the biggest compliment I can pay them is that we are using them again for further work. Would recommend.
Hi Stuart, thank you so much for choosing Planning By Design and for your kind words.
It is always our goal to provide a 5* service at unbeatable prices, and feedback like this is rewarding and motivating for our whole team.
We're delighted to have helped you secure planning approval following a smooth application process.
Of course, we'll be delighted to assist you with building regualtions or anything else you require moving forwards.
Prashant Rao2026.01.16
Helpful, professional, and responsive throughout. The team clearly explained the planning constraints and provided a detailed, site-specific appraisal. When circumstances changed, they were helpful and adaptable where possible and communicated transparently. I would recommend Planning By Design and would use them again.
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