ABW Planning
Chartered town planner | UK and Ireland

Send me the site. You'll get my honest view before you spend a pound on drawings

I'm Silas, a chartered town planner (MRTPI). Landowners, developers and investors deal with me directly, from first call to decision. Residential, commercial, solar and battery storage, heritage and infrastructure sites, across the UK and Ireland

Send me the site See how it works

Free appraisal | I'll reply within 24 hours | No obligation

SITE N 50 m
Silas Willoughby
Silas Willoughby Chartered town planner, MRTPI
ProjectYour site StageFree appraisal

TERRACES, SEMIS, FLATS, RETAIL, HOTELS AND INDUSTRIAL

Why people call me

Most people who contact me have a site, and something has changed

Land

I own land

You want to know whether it could be worth more with planning. I look at its history, the policy position and the constraints, and tell you what's realistic, including when it isn't.

Buying

I'm buying or developing a site

You need a view before you commit. I flag the issues that sink deals, such as access, flood risk, heritage and other owners with an interest, while you can still walk away or renegotiate.

Portfolio and promotion

I have a portfolio to manage, or land to promote

You need one view across your sites: which are ready, which need work and which to leave alone. I keep that pipeline moving, and take strategic land through the Local Plan and on to development.

Capacity

My planner is stretched or has moved on

A site is waiting and nobody senior has time for it. I take it on, and you deal with one person.

Validation and refusal

An application bounced, or was refused

A missed document is one of the most common reasons applications bounce, so I check every one myself. After a refusal, I look at the reasons and advise whether to amend, resubmit or appeal.

Complex site

The site has complications

A listed building, works already carried out, several owners or an Article 4 Direction. These need a strategy before an application.

What working with me is like

When you call, I pick up

Not a junior and not a call centre. You won't explain your site twice

I check every document before it goes in

Validation shouldn't be a lottery

If the answer is no, you'll hear it from me first

Before you spend a pound on drawings or fees. I don't promise approval, and nobody honest does

You'll hear back within 24 hours

From an appraisal

On a site in Stevenage, my first look found other owners with an interest in the land and how the proposal could directly impact them. That could have delayed the application to agree the proposal before submission. The client then contacted the owner to confirm the proposal could work before the application was prepared.

How it works

Five steps, with the scope written down before you commit

  1. 1

    Free appraisal

    Send the address and a line on what you want. I tell you what I think, including when the answer is no.

  2. 2

    Written fee quote

    The appraisal is free. Once I've looked at your site, I send a written fee quote based on the scope of work, the complexity of the site and the documents the Council will need. If the strategy needs more than one application, each stage and its fee are set out up front, with the reason.

  3. 3

    Instruction

    When you instruct me, the fee is fixed for that agreed scope.

  4. 4

    Documents, submission and management

    Preparation usually takes four to six weeks after you instruct me. Then I submit and handle validation, the case officer and questions, with regular updates.

  5. 5

    Decision

    I talk you through the outcome and conditions.

In England, the council's target is 8 weeks for minor schemes and 13 for major schemes, though it can take longer. I'll tell you what applies to your site wherever it is. Council fees and specialist reports are separate and listed before you commit.

Case studies

Strategy, advice and outcome, not just paperwork

Smaller-scale residential | England

HMO intensification: a two-phase strategy | Royal Borough of Greenwich

The challenge
A long-running nine-person HMO in an area with an Article 4 Direction removing permitted development rights. The client wanted twelve. Going straight in risked the council assessing the whole use afresh.
What I did
Phase one: a Certificate of Lawfulness under Section 191 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 confirming the nine-person use. Phase two: a full application for twelve, with a planning statement, HMO management plan, tenant management plan and refuse statement, showing compliance room by room with the council's space standards.
Outcome
Both stages successful. Conditions include a cap of 12 occupants, secure cycle storage, refuse facilities and an operational management plan with a 24-hour contact number.
Why it matters
Where a policy restriction such as an Article 4 Direction applies, establishing the lawful baseline first can materially change the risk profile of the application that follows.
Commercial | England

Two new drive-thru units | Ipswich Borough Council

The challenge
A landlord wanted to demolish a retail unit and replace it with two Class E drive-thru units, adding about 133 sqm and losing 64 spaces in an established leisure and retail park near the town centre.
What I did
I prepared the supporting statement and led the application with a transport statement and drawings from the wider team. The case rested on job creation, use of previously developed land and a parking assessment: 92 spaces needed, 97 remaining. I also addressed tree replacement (seven removed, six planted), cycle parking and the biodiversity net gain exemption for small sites.
Outcome
Full planning permission granted under delegated powers, with eight conditions.
Why it matters
A well-evidenced parking and transport case allowed the loss of spaces without harm. The conditions are typical and manageable when planned for early.
Heritage | England

Retrospective works to a Grade II listed hotel | Westminster City Council

The challenge
A closed hotel in a Grade II listed terrace in a conservation area, with works already carried out or underway: a rear extension, removal of part of a staircase, a new lift and replacement windows.
What I did
I coordinated the drawings, heritage statement and supporting statement and submitted linked planning and listed building applications. The case set out the low level of less than substantial harm and balanced it against the benefits: step-free access, timber sash windows, reinstated lightwells and a restored front facade.
Outcome
Planning permission and listed building consent both granted, with conditions.
Why it matters
Retrospective and heritage-sensitive schemes can be approved with the right evidence and framing.

Have a similar site? Send it over

About Silas

A chartered town planner with more than 10 years in consultancy, who answers his own phone

I have worked at previous consultancies in the corporate sector, eventually becoming a Planning Director on multiple schemes before starting ABW Planning.

I set up ABW Planning so clients work with the person who does the work. You get the advice and the documents from the same person, from the first call to the decision

Residential and residential-led developmentSolar and battery storageStudent accommodation, HMO and co-livingCommercial, retail, leisure and roadsideElderly careData centres, logistics and telecommunicationsHeritage and listed buildingsStrategic land and Local Plan promotionPortfolios of sites
Chartered
Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI)
Education
BSc City and Regional Planning, Cardiff University
MA Urban Design, University of Westminster
Previously
Planning Director, Third Revolution Projects
Associate Partner, Cluttons
Senior Planner, Rapleys
Practice
ABW Planning Ltd, since 2023

What I do, how it works and what it costs

  • AppraisalsAn early view before money goes into drawings
  • Pre-application adviceA considered approach with the Council before you apply
  • Planning applicationsMinor, major and outline
  • Solar farms and battery energy storage (BESS)From first appraisal to determination
  • Strategic land promotionIncluding Local Plan representations
  • Change of use and lawful developmentPermitted development and lawful development certificates
  • Listed buildings and heritageIncluding retrospective works
  • Planning appealsRepresentation after refusal
  • Infrastructure and telecomsIncluding data centres and logistics
  • Portfolio planning strategyPlanning advice across a portfolio of sites

Homeowner or small landlord?

I take on householder and small residential applications: extensions, loft conversions, outbuildings and changes to small rental properties.

You deal with me from the first call to the decision, and I'll tell you honestly whether it's likely to be approved before you spend money on drawings.

The appraisal is free. I then send a written fee quote, and when you instruct me, the fee is fixed for that agreed scope. Council fees and specialist reports are separate and listed before you commit.

Send me the site

Questions

Does it cost anything to send you the site?

No. The first appraisal is free and carries no obligation.

What will it cost?

After the appraisal I send a written fee quote based on the scope, the complexity of the site and the documents the council will need. Once you instruct me, the fee is fixed for that agreed scope.

What is included, and what isn't?

Drawings review, planning statement and supporting documents, forms and certificates, submission, case officer liaison, progress updates and the decision notice. Council fees and specialist reports are separate and listed before you commit.

How long will it take?

Preparation takes four to six weeks after you instruct me. In England, the council's target is 8 weeks for minor schemes and 13 for major schemes, though it can take longer. I'll tell you what applies to your site.

Can you get this approved, and can you guarantee it?

No one can guarantee approval, and anyone who does is selling you something. I guarantee a thorough application, honest advice, and that you'll know where you stand at every stage.

What are the risks, and will you tell me if it's a no?

Yes. I set out the main risks in the appraisal, and if the answer is no, you'll hear it from me first, before you spend a pound on drawings or fees.

What happens if it's refused?

I look at the reasons, then advise whether to amend, resubmit or appeal.

Who will I deal with?

Me. One named person, from the first call to the decision.

How quickly will you reply?

Within 24 hours.

Have you done something like this before?

Probably. I've worked on residential, commercial, solar and battery storage, heritage and infrastructure sites for more than ten years. See the case studies above.

Do you work in my area, and in Ireland?

I work on sites across the UK and Ireland. The planning systems differ, and I tell you what applies to your site from the first conversation.

I already have a planner, why use you?

When your planner is stretched or has moved on, I take the site on, and you deal with one senior person who picks up the phone.

Do I need permission, or can I use permitted development?

It depends on the site. Part of my appraisal is checking whether permitted development, prior approval or a lawful development certificate is available before you go for a full application.

What could my land become?

You could seek permission yourself, promote the land through the Local Plan, work with a developer through an option or promotion agreement, or sell, with or without permission. I advise on planning prospects and the best route.

Do you handle my type of site?

I work on residential, commercial, solar and battery storage, student accommodation and HMOs, elderly care, data centres and logistics, heritage and strategic land. Send me the site and I'll tell you.

Send me the site

Tell me the address and what you want to achieve. I'll reply within 24 hours

Free appraisal. No obligation. Your details are used only to reply. See the privacy policy.