Planning Guarantee

At Architect Designs, we want you to feel confident before moving forward with your project.

Where your project requires a planning application, we will guide you through the design and submission process with the aim of giving your proposal the best possible chance of approval.

However, planning decisions are ultimately made by the local authority and cannot be guaranteed by any architect, designer, or consultant.

For that reason, we offer a clear and limited Planning Guarantee, subject strictly to the terms set out below.

1. What the Planning Guarantee means

If your planning application is refused by the local authority, Architect Designs will have the right to review the refusal, advise on the next appropriate step, and, where we consider it appropriate, submit or manage an appeal before any refund becomes due.

A refund is not automatically due simply because the local authority refuses the first planning application.

You will only become eligible for a refund if:

• the planning application submitted or managed by Architect Designs is formally refused by the local authority;
• Architect Designs is given a fair and reasonable opportunity to appeal the refusal, where we choose to do so;
• you cooperate with the appeal process and any reasonable design revision consultations required to respond to the councils reasons for refusal;
• the appeal is submitted, considered, and formally refused or dismissed; and
• all other eligibility conditions in this Planning Guarantee have been met.

If those conditions are met, the refund will be limited to the architectural design fee only.

This refund does not apply to any other service, cost, third-party fee, survey, drawing, submission, administration, consultant input, or work already completed outside of the architectural design element.

2. What is covered

The Planning Guarantee covers the architectural design fee only, where the planning application and any appeal pursued by Architect Designs are formally refused.

This means that the refundable amount is limited strictly to the portion of your quote allocated to architectural design.

No refund will be due for the full project fee, full package price, planning submission work, survey work, existing drawings, technical drawings, third-party costs, or any other service outside of the architectural design fee.

3. What is not covered

The Planning Guarantee does not cover:

• measured surveys;
• existing drawings;
• planning submission or administration work;
• planning application fees paid to the council;
• Building Regulations drawings;
• structural engineering;
• third-party consultant fees;
• site visits;
• revisions, amendments, or redesign work outside the appeal or planning response process;
• interior design;
• project management; or
• any other professional service outside of the architectural design fee.

Only the architectural design fee is refundable under this guarantee.

4. When the guarantee applies

The Planning Guarantee applies only when all of the following conditions are met:

• Architect Designs has prepared the architectural design for the project;
• Architect Designs has submitted, or directly managed the submission of, the planning application;
• the local authority issues a formal refusal decision;
• the refusal relates to the planning application submitted or managed by Architect Designs;
• Architect Designs is allowed to review the refusal and decide whether to appeal, amend, or respond to the decision;
• where Architect Designs chooses to appeal, the client allows Architect Designs to prepare, submit, or manage that appeal;
• the client attends or participates in any reasonable architecture revision consultations needed to amend the design in response to the councils reasons for refusal;
• the client gives reasonable instructions, approvals, documents, signatures, and information needed for the appeal or revised planning response;
• the appeal is formally refused or dismissed;
• Architect Designs has not told the client, during the consultation or in writing before instruction, that the Planning Guarantee will not apply to the project; and
• the client has followed our professional advice throughout the process.

5. Appeals, amendments, and our right to continue the planning process

If a planning application is refused, Architect Designs reserves the right to appeal the decision before any refund is considered.

The purpose of the appeal process is to give Architect Designs a reasonable opportunity to resolve the refusal and obtain planning approval.

The appeal process may involve one or more architecture revision consultations. These consultations may be used to review the councils reasons for refusal, amend the proposal, clarify the design approach, adjust drawings, or prepare supporting information for the appeal.

The client agrees that a first refusal by the local authority does not end the planning process unless Architect Designs confirms this in writing.

The client further agrees that the Planning Guarantee only becomes capable of producing a refund after the appeal route has been completed and the appeal has also been formally refused or dismissed.

6. Client cooperation during appeal or revision process

The client must cooperate reasonably with Architect Designs during any appeal, amendment, or revised planning response process.

Reasonable cooperation includes, but is not limited to:

• responding to reasonable requests for instructions, approvals, information, or documents;
• attending or participating in reasonable design revision consultations;
• allowing Architect Designs to make reasonable design amendments in response to the councils reasons for refusal;
• not preventing, delaying, obstructing, or refusing the submission of an appeal where Architect Designs considers an appeal appropriate;
• not withdrawing the application or appeal without written agreement from Architect Designs; and
• not appointing another designer, architect, consultant, or third party to take over the appeal or revised planning response without first giving Architect Designs a reasonable opportunity to complete the process.

If the client does not reasonably cooperate, the Planning Guarantee will not apply and no refund will be due.

7. When the guarantee does not apply

The Planning Guarantee does not apply if:

• the client withdraws the application before a decision is made;
• the client abandons the application after refusal;
• the client prevents Architect Designs from submitting, preparing, or managing an appeal;
• the client refuses to participate in reasonable architecture revision consultations needed for the appeal or revised planning response;
• the client refuses reasonable design amendments intended to respond to the councils reasons for refusal;
• an advisor explicitly stated during the consultation, or Architect Designs confirmed in writing before instruction, that the Planning Guarantee would not apply to the project;
• the client asks us to submit a design against our professional advice;
• the client changes the design after submission without our agreement;
• the client refuses reasonable amendments requested by the local authority;
• the application or appeal is refused due to inaccurate, withheld, or incomplete information provided by the client;
• the project changes materially after the quote, design, submission, refusal, or appeal;
• the refusal relates to matters outside the architectural design itself;
• the application was not submitted or managed by Architect Designs;
• the appeal was not submitted or managed by Architect Designs, unless Architect Designs agreed otherwise in writing;
• the client has not paid the agreed fees in full;
• the client cancels the project before a formal refusal or appeal decision is issued; or
• the client terminates the agreement before Architect Designs has had a reasonable opportunity to complete the planning and appeal process.

In these circumstances, no refund will be due.

8. Abandonment, cancellation, or prevention of appeal

If the planning application is refused and the client chooses not to continue with an appeal, amendment, or revised planning response recommended or pursued by Architect Designs, this will be treated as the client abandoning the planning process.

If the client abandons the planning process, prevents Architect Designs from submitting an appeal, refuses to approve reasonable appeal documents, or otherwise stops Architect Designs from continuing the process, the client will be treated as having terminated the agreement.

Where the client terminates the agreement in this way, the Planning Guarantee will immediately cease to apply and the client will not be eligible for any refund.

For clarity, a client cannot claim a refund by refusing to allow Architect Designs to submit or manage an appeal.

9. Refund amount

Any refund due under the Planning Guarantee will be limited to the architectural design fee only.

For clarity, the refund will not be based on the full project fee, full invoice value, total package price, or any costs paid for other services.

The maximum refundable amount is the amount specifically allocated to the architectural design element of your quote.

If your quote, proposal, invoice, or payment schedule does not separately itemise the architectural design fee, Architect Designs will reasonably determine the architectural design portion by reference to the scope of work, internal fee allocation, and services completed.

10. Timing of any refund

Where a refund is due, it will only become payable after:

• the local authority has issued a formal refusal;
• any appeal submitted or managed by Architect Designs has been formally refused or dismissed;
• Architect Designs has confirmed that all refund eligibility conditions have been met; and
• the client has provided the required refund payment details.

No refund will be processed while an application, appeal, amendment, or revised planning response remains ongoing.

11. Simple summary

If planning is refused, Architect Designs has the right to appeal the decision before any refund is considered.

The appeal may involve design revision consultations and reasonable amendments to respond to the councils reasons for refusal.

You only become eligible for a refund if the original application is refused, Architect Designs is allowed to pursue the appeal, you cooperate with the appeal process, and the appeal is also refused or dismissed.

If you abandon the application, prevent us from submitting an appeal, refuse reasonable amendments, or terminate the agreement before the process is complete, you will not be eligible for the refund.

Any refund is limited to the architectural design fee only.

You will not receive a refund for surveys, existing drawings, planning submission work, council fees, Building Regulations, structural calculations, third-party costs, or any other services.

This guarantee is designed to give reassurance while keeping the scope of the refund clear, fair, and limited.