About the author

Use our professional services for your own home extension plans

The 'house-extension.info' web site is owned and run by the Christopher Hunt Practice ( CHP ) who is an independent Planning & Building Design consultancy specialising in Building Design, Development Control and Planning Enforcement within the Bucks, Berks & Oxfordshire areas.

CHP provide a range of services to help our clients navigate the Planning & Building Control process to realise their development aspirations. This 'house-extension.info' web site is designed to attract potential clients through discussion and information relating to Permitted Development which can form an important and integral part of residential development for the home owner.

CHP can advise you if a development proposal requires planning permission or whether it can be built under the new Permitted development rules introduced on October 1st 2008. If formal Planning Permission is required, CHP can also suggest changes which would make your proposals more acceptable, increasing the likelihood of Planning Consent being granted.

Applying for planning permission or applying for a certificate of Lawful Development can be a complex process and it is often easier appointing an agent to submit the application on your behalf. CHP will produce the necessary drawings, specifications & supporting information for a planning application, including a Design and Access Statement justifying your proposal where applicable. CHP will progress the application, negotiate with the Local Planning Authority and deal swiftly with any problems that may arise.

If a planning application is refused or you are not happy with any conditions imposed, an appeal can be made to the Planning Inspectorate. However, this rarely happens with CHP controlled designs. A negotiated route to secure Planning Approval is usually preferable to any appeal. Around 1/3 of appeals succeed and CHP will ensure that your case is effectively made to the Planning Inspectorate.

CHP is run by an experienced Architectural Technologist who is a member of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) and has extensive and wide ranging experience gained in Local Authority Planning & Building Control Departments.

At CHP mostly everything is done by personal attention (site visits & meetings), by post, e-mail, fax and phone. We work fast, meet deadlines and guarantee that our advice is independent and given in good faith. We believe in long-term relationships with our clients and offer a very professional service with real help and comprehensive guidance.

We are competitively priced, we're friendly and give you a simple promise ~ that you'll get a friendly, honest, reliable and supportive service from the moment you get in touch.