Liz Hutton provides an update on her journey to restore a derelict chapel in Wales

By way of brief recap, you join me on my journey to restore a derelict chapel in the beautiful village of Crickhowell in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park in Wales.

As I write, I’m waiting (not very patiently!) for a response from the National Park on our pre-planning application. The purpose of making a pre-planning application is to establish the parameters for development that may be acceptable to the National Park as the planning authority and highlight any major issues prior to a full planning application. Even though our renovation plans are relatively straightforward, there will likely be additional environmental as well as the aesthetic points to consider that the pre-application should highlight. The process is designed to be collaborative and involve the client, architect and planning authority to, in theory, improve efficiency and effectiveness of the planning system. Needless to say, the 21-day projected timeframe for a response has come and gone, and it’s now a waiting game to establish the next steps. Nonetheless, there has been a little progress- after a 9 week wait for electricity reconnection, we finally have power and, (to the envy of no one), a functioning outside loo. This will of course make our trips to Wales a little more comfortable and we can now at least offer a cup of tea to any willing tradespeople.

The process has got me thinking about conveyancing timescales and how some of my clients must feel when matters are seemingly outside of their control. Even in an age of information at your fingertips, there can be an element of mystique to the process of buying and selling a house. I can well understand the anxiety that can be caused if you, as a client, feel a little helpless in the process. It is vital that your solicitor engage with all parties to keep things moving. I always remind trainees, even a ‘no update’ update can be really valuable for clients when you haven’t had any specific progress, but can provide assurance it’s on your radar and you are chasing. I’m always keen to involve the estate agents as far as possible in the process as they will have a direct line to the other party in the transaction and are often best placed to deal with the non-legal enquiries that are equally important to buyers and sellers. We are fortunate to deal with some great agents in London and the Home Counties who make the effort to collaborate and engage with us; we should all be pulling in the same direction and it’s a real joy when we can make it happen.

Fingers crossed we’ll be ready for a full planning application to update you on next month.

If you would like to follow along, please do so on Instagram @crickhowellchapel

Read part one of my journey here.