Certificate of Lawfulness in Brent
As well as providing assistance with the planning process, WEA Planning can also advise on whether or not planning permission is needed. We offer the following services:
Brent planning policy advice – what sort of development is likely to be accepted?
Permitted development rights – do I need planning permission in the first place?
Advice on filling in Brent planning applications – what critical information is needed?
Dealing with the Brent planning committee – this is unlikely to be necessary, but we are able to either advise or act on your behalf.
Retrospective planning permission – what to do if you are told something you have already built need planning permission.
Brent planning appeals – what to do if your planning application is denied.
Planning Brent development schemes – we can advise right from the start about the best ways to proceed.
Statistically, Brent has both an outright population and a population density which is slightly larger than the average for London councils, and this reflects the mix of urban and suburban development styles within the borough.
As with neighbouring Barnet, there is no single core in Brent, with the main commercial areas instead being in areas such as Wembley, Kilburn and Willesden.
However, in terms of facilities, the borough is undoubtedly most famous for being the location of the iconic Wembley Stadium and the associated Wembley Arena and conference centre.
Large venues such as sports stadia create immense planning challenges, as they create enourmous traffic problems during the times they are used, but they can often sit vacant for much of the year. Brent planning policy has been developed to make the best usage of facilities like Wembley. The commercial advantage for businesses based near Wembley is that the stadium is still relatively well used for concerts and a mixture of sporting events, although, as with many national stadiums, there is no club team based there. Meanwhile, Wembley Arena and the conference centre continue to provide a steady stream of visitors (and traffic problems) to the borough.
More recent development patterns favour mixed use over the late 20th century single use land zoning, but this desire for densification is naturally creating its own local development pressures.On a much larger scale are the proposals to redevelop the Brent Cross shopping centre into a much larger scale mixed use development. When it was opened in the 1970s, Brent Cross shopping centre was the first major American style "out of town" shopping mall to open in the UK, taking advantage of its strategic location adjacent to the North Circular Road, and also its proximity to the nearby M1 motorway.
Planning issues in Brent planning policy include common concerns about densification and over-development, with the ongoing desire of property owners to expand as far as they can within their own boundaries.
The London Borough of Brent is relatively well served by rail-based public transport, including having several tube lines pass through the area, together with national rail services operating into terminii at Marylebone and Euston. Yet the biggest planning challenges facing Brent are actually situated in neighbouring boroughs.
The largest single challenge or opportunity (depending on perspective) comes from proposals to build the HS2 railway line from Euston to Birmingham and beyond, using an alignment which also runs through the eastern side of neighbouring Ealing. Although originally billed merely as a box in which to change trains, proposals for a station at Old oak Common have now morphed into plans for a substantial investment in mixed use development which straddles the borders of Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent and Ealing. Although the Old Oak Common site itself is in Hammersmith and Fulham, nearby Willesden Junction, which could also be incorporated into the wider development plans, is in the borough of Brent. Even smaller Brent planning applications are usually subject to a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payment, although this will depend very much on project type and size.
Another property development facing considerable local opposition is the proposal to substantially rebuild the shopping centre at Brent Cross, which is actually just in the neighbouring borough of Barnet.
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Please note:
WEA Planning are independent Brent planning consultants, specialising in planning applications in the London Borough of Brent, and across London.
Although we are not associated with the London Borough of Brent, we can offer planning advice on any application within this part of London. If you simply want an update on an existing Brent application, or want to view planning applications which have already been submitted, please contact the Brent council planning team directly.