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CIAT Chartered Practice · Manningtree

Planning consultants & architectural designers for Essex and Suffolk

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Planning consultants and chartered designers in one team. Ben will visit you for free, with no obligation, anywhere in Tendring, Babergh, Colchester, Braintree, Maldon and Ipswich districts.

A family-run practice on the River Stour. We design your project in 3D, prepare the drawings and steer it through planning, whether it's a listed cottage in Lavenham, an extension in Coggeshall or new homes near Maldon.

TendringColchesterBraintreeMaldonBaberghIpswich
Line drawing of a cottage extension 3D render of the same cottage extension with slate roof and patio
Cottage extension, Kirby CrossTendring District Council
CIAT Chartered Practice
40+years' combined experience
LABC Partner
Freeinitial site visit
Insured through PolicyBee
Fixedprice quotes
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What are you planning?

I want to extend my homeExtensions, lofts, garden rooms I own a listed buildingConsent for windows, alterations, extensions I have a plot or barnNew homes, outline planning, Class Q I've been refusedAppeals, resubmissions, enforcement letters I want some planning advicePre-application advice, what's possible, permitted development
What we do

Every stage of planning, under one roof

From replacement windows in a listed building to a small housing scheme, we handle the design, the planning consultancy, the drawings and the application, and talk to the council for you.

Restored dormer window on a listed building with handmade clay tiles

Heritage & Listed Buildings

Listed homes, conservation areas and sensitive alterations, backed by heritage planning expertise in-house.

Listed building consentListed windows & doorsHeritage statementsConservation areas
 Planning drawings for a coach house conversion

Planning Applications

HouseholderFullOutlineLawful development
 3D render of two new detached homes

New Builds & Development

Self-buildSmall sitesClass Q barns
 Contemporary timber-clad rear extension in Babergh

Extensions & Alterations

Single & two-storeyLofts & dormers
 Floor plans for an HMO conversion

Change of Use & HMOs

HMO conversionsCommercial to residential
 Design and access statement and heritage statement documents

Pre-Application Advice

FeasibilityCouncil pre-app
 Survey photos and 3D model of a historic coach house

Appeals & Enforcement

AppealsRetrospectiveEnforcement

Approved? We see it through.

For projects we've designed, we also prepare the building regulations drawings, so your builder can get started without finding someone new.

Why Complete Planning

A town planner and an architectural technologist, in one practice

Ben leads every project and is the person you deal with throughout. Charlie works alongside him on the drawings, so you get a planner and a designer without the hand-offs.

  • Free initial site visitBen comes to you and talks through what's achievable.
  • 3D LiDAR measured surveysAccurate existing drawings, with every design in 3D and colour.
  • Fixed-price quotesA clear fee agreed up front, with no hidden extras.
Benjamin Plunkett, Managing Director
Your first point of contact

Benjamin Plunkett

RTPI (Licentiate) · Managing Director · Planning & Heritage Consultant

Ben runs Complete Planning and leads every project personally, from the first home visit to the council's decision. He is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (Licentiate), holds an MSc in Town Planning and a law degree from the University of East Anglia, has completed the Legal Practice Course, and was previously an Associate Director at Savills, one of the UK's largest property consultancies. That mix of planning and law is why clients come to us for listed buildings, appeals and enforcement.

Charlie Plunkett MCIAT

Charlie Plunkett

MCIAT · Design Director

Charlie works alongside Ben, turning the survey and brief into the architectural and construction drawings for planning and building regulations. A Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, he has more than three decades' experience in design, new build development and construction and project management.

Recent projects

Designed, drawn and approved

3D view of the mid-century style rear extension
Extension Babergh

Mid-century style extension and recladding of a home in Elmsett

A single-storey extension, new windows and cedar and off-white cladding that give a mid-century chalet bungalow in Elmsett a fresh retro-modern look.
The weatherboarded building from the garden
Change of use Tendring

Office to three-bedroom home by prior approval in Tendring

A prior approval for converting a weatherboarded office building into a three-bedroom detached home with parking and a large garden in Tendring.
Proposed front elevation with cream render gable and brick ground floor
Extension Tendring

Raised roof and two-storey rear extension

A dated bungalow redesigned as a family home, reworked point by point after an earlier refusal.
The listed house before re-roofing, with its old moss-covered clay tile roof
Listed building Braintree

Replacing the clay roof tiles on a Grade II listed house

Drawings for listed building consent to re-roof a Grade II listed house in Sible Hedingham with handmade clay tiles, approved by Braintree.
Street elevation with a bay window, balcony and gabled dormer
Change of use Lowestoft

Change of use from offices to an eight-bedroom HMO

Planning permission to convert a three-storey office and training building in Lowestoft into an eight-bedroom house of multiple occupation.
The front of the townhouse before work, with its carport and garage
Extension Ipswich

Rear extension and garage conversion for a three-storey townhouse

A single-storey rear extension with a roof lantern and a garage conversion, creating a large open living space for a townhouse in Ipswich.
Front of the new bungalow, with black weatherboarding, a red tiled roof and an oak porch
New build Tendring

A single-storey three-bedroom home in a rural setting

A new three-bedroom bungalow in Ardleigh, with black weatherboarding, a red tiled roof and an oak porch, approved by Tendring District Council.
The front of The New Bell Inn before the work
Conservation area Tendring

Timber windows for a historic pub in Harwich's Old Town

Replacing worn modern front windows at The New Bell Inn, one of Harwich's oldest pubs, with traditional timber casements and slim heritage glazing.

All projects

Areas we cover

Six councils, known inside out

We work with these planning departments every week and know their local plans, conservation areas and what their officers look for.

Tendring Colchester Braintree Maldon Babergh Ipswich Our office Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right.

Tendring

Essex

Manningtree, Mistley, Harwich, Frinton, Walton, Clacton, Brightlingsea

Colchester

Essex

Colchester, Dedham, Wivenhoe, West Mersea, Tiptree, Ardleigh

Braintree

Essex

Braintree, Coggeshall, Halstead, Witham, Kelvedon

Maldon

Essex

Maldon, Heybridge, Burnham-on-Crouch, Tollesbury

Babergh

Suffolk

East Bergholt, Hadleigh, Sudbury, Lavenham, Long Melford, Capel St Mary

Ipswich

Suffolk

Ipswich town, the Waterfront, Chantry, Whitton, Westbourne, Castle Hill
How it works

From first visit to decision

A clear route through planning, with one point of contact the whole way.

  1. Free site visit

    We meet you at the property, hear your plans and tell you honestly what the council is likely to accept.

  2. Measured survey

    We LiDAR-scan the building and produce accurate drawings of what's there now.

  3. Design in 3D

    We develop the design with you in 3D and colour, then prepare every drawing and statement the application needs.

  4. Submit & manage

    We submit, deal with the planning officer and respond to any queries until you have a decision.

Once you're approved, we can prepare the building regulations drawings for your project, so it goes straight to site.

Planning advice

Straight answers to common questions

All advice
Extensions

Do I need planning permission for an extension?

Many single-storey extensions and loft conversions can be built under permitted development. Here's how the limits work, and when you'll need to apply.

 Planning basics

Planning permission or building regulations: what's the difference?

They're two separate approvals that answer different questions. Many projects need both, some need one, and a few need neither.

 Refusals & appeals

My planning application was refused: what now?

A refusal isn't always the end. You can usually change the scheme and apply again, or appeal. Here's how to decide, and the deadlines to watch.
Start your project

Tell us about your plans

Send a few details and any photos or drawings, and we'll call you to arrange a free site visit.

01206 656027 info@completeplanning.co.uk
Mill Chase House, 9 River View,
Manningtree, Essex CO11 2BE
  • Free initial site visit
  • Fixed-price quote before we start
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