We offer consultations which provide you a comprehensive plan for your next project in Rochdale. Request one today.
Understanding the historic landscape of Rochdale and the current uses of buildings in the town has defined how we offer services in the area.
For example, dealing with industrial mill buildings, the canals and many of the industrial former workers housing from the Victorian period has allowed us to understand how these buildings work and common ways they were built.
This will normally influence the services we provide right from the get go with the measured survey and first drafts of the design, allowing us to make a lot more progress on faster timelines for our clients' building projects in Rochdale.
Being close to the Pennines also has an effect on the styles and design potential in Rochdale, we typically try to use this expertise of the area to your advantage so that you can achieve planning permission for eco-friendly homes in Rochdale, heritage buildings in Rochdale and Pennines-inspired design Rochdale.
Rochdale's industrial heritage will inform much of the building work in the area, whether it's a mill conversion, a house extension or a larger regeneration project. Designing projects with this in mind is important to ensuring success.
Whether it's a kitchen extension to your house or an off the grid house. Rochdale has unique characteristics when gaining planning permission and building regulations approval.
Focus on the architect’s experience with residential projects, including:
We're often approached by homeowners in Rochdale to design new eco-friendly homes whether in the natural surrounding around Rochdale or closer to the centre of town.
For these projects we make use of our expert knowledge in PassivHaus and energy efficient design as well as with our local expertise with planning applications with Rochdale council.
We're also often speaking to clients about property renovations in Rochdale. Whether that's house extensions, dormer roof conversions or outbuildings to enhance the existing home.
These can often be in connection with conversation areas and listed heritage buildings. Local knowledge of these buildings and how Rochdale council approach them have made it far easier to gain permission and apply clever design to existing buildings.
Knowing the different between what's possible and not possible with the local land and building stock will make of break your plans. Especially with regards to commercial ventures.
Even with modern garden annexes or outbuildings, understanding energy efficiency and planning policy in Rochdale will greatly help you in the long run.
The other most common type of project we see and work on will be office, retail or hospitality conversions with the old industrial buildings of Rochdale.
These will often involve some kind of change of use application or full application for items like shop frontage and signage. This is definitely the case where we've worked with some of the industrial shed units you can find around Rochdale.
These can be fantastic business opportunities for a business premises in Rochdale. Typically we'll use are commercial architect knowledge so that you can expect the best return on your investment.
Whether your project involves a marketing housing development or a new restaurant, it's always beneficial to get some quick advice from a professional on whether your commercial architecture project in Rochdale is possible. Luckily, we offer free advice right from the beginning.
Even shopfronts and signage needs planning permission. But it can be easy with the right approach toward Rochdale Council.
Planning permission is a major milestone for any building project in Rochdale and can take on many forms and steps depending on the site and the plans that you have.
In our experience it can the following will be the main items you'll need to know and cover with Rochdale Council.
Rochdale contains a lot of history and with that Rochdale Council have a number of conservation areas and listed buildings which which could be relevant to gaining planning permission for your project in Rochdale.
Here are some of the conversation areas in Rochdale you may come across, each has slightly different rules for designs and materials in order to preserve the architectural character of those areas:
- Rochdale Town Centre conservation area - Focusing on the centre of Rochdale town, particularly the Victorian and Edwardian architecture.
- Spotland Bridge conservation area - Protecting the historic terraced housing and traditional stone cottages in the area.
- Castleton South conservation area - With it's red brick industrial mill buildings and worker's housing.
You can find a full list of the conservation areas on Rochdale Council's planning website.
It's not uncommon for article 4 directions to be placed on properties in conservation areas as well, limiting permitted development rights. This is covered by Rochdale Council on this page of their planning website.
For this reason and many others it's always good to get advice or do research in order to establish this before committing to any construction project.
Rochdale Council are active in promoting sustainable technologies and design when they consider giving planning permission for a building. In our experience this can include EV charging points, solar panels and air source heat pumps just to name a few.
This is where our energy efficient design expertise really provides value to those building a project in Rochdale. These usually provide a great return on investment while also greatly increasing your chances of securing planning permission with Rochdale Council.
New residential developments are often the projects that will benefit the most from these skills, demonstrating how the carbon footprint and embodied carbon of the housing development in Rochdale will be lowered and provide a net gain to the environment.
Rochdale's close proximity to the Pennines also creates a lot of opportunities to being the natural environment into the design in many direct and indirect ways. Whether that's by creating views over the landscape, marrying the inside of a building design with the outside or using garden landscaping to connect architecture with nature.
When gaining planning permission in Rochdale, we'll typically follow these steps in order to improve the chances of planning approval with Rochdale Council.
1. Planning Feasibility - doing a quick desktop study allows us to determine early if the project will gain planning permission or not.
2. Concept Design Pre-application Advice - This can help where Rochdale Council can provide input on the design, improving the chances of success.
3. Public Consultation - This step is particularly useful for bigger more complex developments, ensuring you're communicating with the local community so that the democratic processes Rochdale Planning enforce are satisfied.
4. Drawings, statements and other documentation for submission - This is where the majority of the hard work is done, producing the design drawings, statements and forms ready for the planning application.
5. Submission and management of the planning application with Rochdale Council - The application is submitted, in our experience communicating and managing any additional requirements as they are request by Rochdale Council is useful to ensure the highest chances of gaining planning permission.
There can be additional stages for larger and more complex projects such as listed building consent for heritage buildings in Rochdale.
Whether it's in Rochdale or the surrounding area, we've helped many clients realize their house extensions, roof conversions, office conversions and more with our local architect services.
Here's what one client from Rochdale who is building their double storey house extension had to say:
"Contacted Sean to discuss our options over an extension, he was knowledgeable and knew from the start that given works done in the area we would have a high degree of success with planning which gave us confidence.
During the initial meetings it became clear we wanted to increase the scope of design into remodelling most of our property. Maverick visited the property and took measures of everything, he was friendly and professional, from there we had a couple of design meetings to make sure what had been drawn was what we were expecting, what really helped visualise this was the CGI drawings.
Both gents have been very responsive to questions, requests for information and as always those last minute detail changes. There time in the industry has led them to gain a pool of other professionals nationwide that they can recommend if required and this always helps, they make initial contact and the process is smooth as all parties are working together from start. Overall happy with the process and will be recommending to others."
Our focus on eco-friendly design, existing building design and historical building knowledge gives us the edge when it comes to gaining planning permission in Rochdale, getting the most out of your budget for your project and ensuring the best possible finish once built.
We combine this with extensive information for our clients and Rochdale council, ensuring both you and Rochdale Council have everything you need to conduct the project with confidence.
If you're considering a project in Rochdale, speak with your local architect today so you have all the information you need to make plans for the future.
Whether it's eco-friendly or historical, our aim is to find the best results no matter your budget or constraints.
Having worked in the construction industry and within architecture for the last 15 years, I've seen everything from the very best to the very questionable.
My focus over the last 6 years has been on bringing the very best in energy efficient architecture and high design to the small scale.
We offer consultations which provide you a comprehensive plan for your next project in Rochdale. Request one today.
