When carrying out a building project, you should not ignore the need for a planning consultant. Today, most architectural companies have taken the roles of planning consultants because they have the skills and expertise to give planning advice on any building project. So, when engaging these architects for design planning and drawing, ask them if they provide overall planning consultation services, which could save you money and time through getting a full package.
So, what are the roles of a planning consultant in a building project? This article will cover important inputs from these professionals in your project.
Advice from a Planning Consultant on Setting Up a Building Project
When using professional architects as your planning consultant, they will give you the best advice on setting up the project. Just by the look of your proposed design idea, they can tell you the viability of the project. Better still, they will help to align your idea according to what is practical. So, involving a planning consultant from the beginning eliminates costly mistakes, failure to obtain approval for projects, and time wastage through unnecessary revisions called for by authorities.
Planning Permission Application and Approval
It is the role of a planning consultant to make planning permission applications and ensure that the authorities approve them. Since the planning consultant has been involved in planning from the beginning, the chances of making costly mistakes when making these applications are always very minimal. Furthermore, the consultant can quickly make any revision required by the authorities in collaboration with the client. Therefore, planning permission application is a crucial role that should be handled by professional planning consultants.
Design Development and Drawing
Architects play a major role in making a building design according to the agreed upon plan. This is why they make the best planning consultants and should always be used. Once you have discussed and agreed on a design, the professionals should make the floor plans, site plan, architectural drawing, electrical plan, and plumbing plan. All these designs and drawings should have notes to justify the current planning. Both the consultant and the client should agree on any revision and have it done as soon as possible.
Design Implementation and Building Supervision by a Planning Consultant
Once planning permissions have been granted by the authorities, the construction experts and engineers take over to implement the project. But the planning consultant remains on board to make sure that the construction of the building goes as planned.
At this stage, the consultant holds several progress meetings with the service providers such as the builder, electrician, plumber, and any other to make sure that their services are in line with the planning. They also brief the client on a regular basis to explain the progress of the work. If there are major changes to be made to the project, they must be involved to ensure that the changes will not affect the functionality of the structure. Actually, they amend the plans and the drawings themselves while making sure they maintain acceptable standards.
Conclusion
The planning consultant is also one of the service providers who is involved from the beginning of a building project idea until the end. As you can see, their roles overlap with those of all other service providers, necessitating their presence all throughout the project. Now that you know this, it is time that you hire the best planning consultant with the right skills, expertise, and experience to walk you through the entire process.
