Know what gets approved before you commit capital
Planning intelligence for small site developers. Data-driven analysis of what boroughs actually approve — so you can acquire with confidence and submit with certainty.
Get in Touch"The gap between published policy and what actually gets approved costs developers thousands per failed scheme."
What we do
We analyse every small site planning application in a borough — decisions, refusal reasons, density achievements, determination times, design patterns — and turn it into intelligence you can act on.
Not raw data. Not one consultant's opinion. Systematic analysis of what the planning authority has actually approved over the past three years. The result: you know what's realistic before you buy, and what to submit before you spend on architects.
Two ways we help
Borough Intelligence Report
Comprehensive analysis of planning outcomes for small sites across an entire borough. Covers density, design, process, and tactical recommendations — everything you need to assess sites and shape schemes before committing capital.
What's included
- Approved densities by site type, area, PTAL rating, and conservation status
- Design patterns that correlate with approval and refusal
- Determination times, committee thresholds, and appeal success rates
- Tactical guidance on site selection, capacity assessment, and submission strategy
- Supplementary data tables and a capacity calculator in Excel
25–40 page PDF report with maps, charts, and synthesised analysis. Executive summary suitable for investment committee presentations.
Pipeline Review
Bespoke assessment of a specific site against our intelligence findings. Before you acquire or submit, we tell you what the data says about your site — comparable approvals, realistic density, design approach, and risk factors.
What's included
- Site-specific density recommendation based on comparable approvals
- Design approach guidance tailored to location and constraints
- Risk assessment with specific concerns identified
- 20-minute call to discuss findings
Written assessment delivered within 5 working days.
What the data reveals
Every borough has patterns. Officers interpret policy consistently — but differently from what the policy documents suggest. Our analysis uncovers these patterns across four dimensions.
Density reality
What actually gets approved versus what policy implies. Density by site type, area, transport accessibility, and conservation status — with statistical ranges, not guesswork.
Design intelligence
Which architectural approaches succeed and which trigger refusal. Materials, massing, height, style — correlated with outcomes across dozens of comparable schemes.
Process patterns
How long decisions take, what triggers committee referral, when pre-application advice is worth the fee, and whether appealing a refusal is likely to succeed.
Tactical recommendations
Site selection indicators, capacity estimation methodology, optimal submission strategy, and specific warning signs that predict refusal.
Pricing
The complete picture. Every small site application analysed, every pattern identified. One-time purchase.
Your specific site assessed against the full dataset. Includes written assessment and a 20-minute call.
Quarterly briefings covering new decisions, pattern shifts, and policy changes. Keeps your intelligence current.
The maths
A single failed planning application costs £20,000–35,000 in abortive professional fees — before holding costs. The Borough Intelligence Report costs less than 10% of one failed scheme.
If it prevents one refusal or identifies one additional unit of capacity, the return exceeds 10×.
Current coverage
Our first Borough Intelligence Report covers Wandsworth — 197 small site applications analysed across Battersea, Tooting, Balham, Putney, Wandsworth Town, Southfields, Roehampton, and Earlsfield. Three years of decisions. Eight coding dimensions per application.
Additional boroughs are in development. If you're active in a specific borough and want to be notified when coverage is available, get in touch.
Who's behind this
Perfect Scale is led by Abre Etteh, an ARB-registered architect with 14 years' experience in London residential development.
Abre has sat on both sides of the planning table — authoring planning policy at the London Borough of Merton, sitting on Design Review Panels assessing development proposals, and working directly on small site schemes across South London.
Most planning data tools are built by people who've never sat in a pre-app meeting. This is different — it comes from fourteen years of watching how officers actually interpret policy, and knowing what tips schemes from refusal to approval.
FAQ
Those platforms show you raw planning data — application locations, decisions, basic details. We analyse that data to identify patterns and produce actionable intelligence. They tell you what happened. We tell you what it means for your next site.
No. A planning consultant advises on your specific scheme and manages your application. Our intelligence helps you choose the right site and brief your consultant more effectively. Most of our clients use both.
The Wandsworth report covers 2022–2025. Annual update subscribers receive quarterly briefings incorporating new decisions and any shifts in approval patterns.
Yes. The report is licensed for use within your organisation. It cannot be redistributed or resold.
Get in touch. We prioritise new boroughs based on demand, and can fast-track production if there's sufficient interest.
No. Planning decisions depend on site-specific factors no dataset can fully predict. What we provide is a statistically grounded understanding of what has been approved — which materially improves your odds.
Get started
Whether you're evaluating a site, shaping a scheme, or want to understand a borough before committing capital — we can help.
Email UsWe respond to all enquiries within 2 working days.