Ah, the joys of UK Planning Departments, the last vestiges of UK-style 1940's Stalinist Autocracy, run by [ not very ] civil servants.
My advice Paul, if the area is not in an area of outstanding natural beauty or green-belt zoned, is to tell him to submit a proper outline-planning proposal through an Architectural Draftsman's or Architect's Office. Take no notice of 'letters of intent' , the Officers all get promoted somewhere else every 2 or 3 years and policy changes with the next incumbent. One of the idiots I ran up against insisted all the elevations of a small country cottage extension must have 'golden rectangle' proportions, because he admired the Parthenon! Six months later, the new boss couldn't give a flying monkey's!
Planning will then have to make a proper decision, yay or nay, taken with consultation with elected councillors, ooh, they hate that!
If nay, appeal. This really gives them the diahoreas, as the appeal is to the Minister, and the costs are astronomical. He has a statistical 36% chance of success based on latest data, very much improved by a solid case properly drawn up by an experienced professional with good cogent arguments. Many of the failed appeals will be DIY jobs of cretins wanting to put up a totally unacceptable pink cement carbunkle in a conservation area!
