Consultants charge between £2,000 and £5,000 for a Class Q application. That fee does not guarantee approval. Whether you need one at all is a question worth asking before you spend it.
I submitted three Class Q applications without a planning consultant. All three were granted. I am not saying consultants have no value. I am saying the question of whether you need one is more nuanced than most people assume.
The honest answer is that it depends on the complexity of your specific application, and on how well you understand the process before you start.
A planning consultant manages the process on your behalf. They prepare the documents, liaise with the LPA, respond to consultee objections, and advise on how to present the application. For a straightforward building, a competent applicant can do most of that themselves.
Where a consultant genuinely earns their fee is in complex situations. An open hay barn. A highways objection. A bat survey that triggers further requirements. An LPA with a poor track record on Class Q. In those situations, experience matters.
The risk is not that the application is refused. Refusals happen with and without consultants. The risk is that an avoidable mistake, a document presented incorrectly, a consultation response left unanswered, turns a grantable application into one that fails.
Understanding the process well enough to manage it yourself is entirely possible. The guide was written specifically for farmers who want to do exactly that, based on three applications that went through without a consultant, including two open hay barns that multiple professionals said could not be done.
A complete end-to-end guide for farmers and landowners converting an agricultural building under Class Q Permitted Development. Everything a consultant would manage, explained so you can do it yourself. Based on direct experience. Three applications. Two locations. All granted.
Get the guide — £67