ArchFor Architectural Practices
Feasibility triage in minutes, not billable hours
Before you quote a fee, know the planning route, the policy position and the submission requirements. ArchLens runs the checks you'd do manually — against the actual GPDO limits, your client's council's actual adopted policies and the England Approved Documents — and cites every finding to its source.
The Workflow
How Practices Use ArchLens
New Enquiry Arrives
Enter the address and proposal in a guided wizard. The site's conservation area, Article 4, listed building and flood zone status are verified against official government datasets automatically — not just taken on trust from the client.
Assessment in Minutes
The rules engine determines the likely route — permitted development Class A–H or a planning application — checks the proposal against adopted local policy where a library exists, and lists the council's submission requirements for this project specifically.
Quote & Deliver Informed
Scope the fee knowing the route and the risks. When the job proceeds, generate a structured Planning Statement draft from the same verified findings — then refine it in Word under your own name.
Under the Hood
Findings You Can Verify, Not Vibes
You wouldn't accept "the AI thinks it's fine" from a junior — you shouldn't accept it from software. Every ArchLens conclusion is traceable.
GPDO Route Engine
Deterministic Class A–H logic with per-limit test rows — depth, height, eaves, volume, boundary — each citing the exact GPDO provision, assessed against your dimensions.
Council Policy Engine
Adopted Local Plan policies and SPD standards held in a versioned, citation-locked library — results show the measured value against the published standard, with the document and paragraph named.
Approved Documents Engine
Building Regulations checks across structure, fire, thermal, ventilation, drainage and access — each conclusion traceable to its Approved Document paragraph.
Verified Site Constraints
Conservation areas, Article 4 directions, listed buildings and flood zones checked against official government datasets at the property's actual coordinates.
Drawing Pack Cross-Check
Upload the PDF pack; dimensions and construction details are extracted per sheet and cross-checked against the questionnaire — discrepancies flagged with both values shown.
Submission Checklist
The documents your client's council actually requires for this proposal — validation requirements resolved per authority and per project, not a generic list.
Citation-locked local policy libraries are live for Hounslow, Ealing, Hillingdon, Brent, Richmond upon Thames, Slough, Harrow, Hammersmith & Fulham, Wandsworth, Kingston upon Thames, Spelthorne, Barnet, Merton, Croydon, Redbridge, Elmbridge, Kensington & Chelsea, Windsor & Maidenhead, Three Rivers, Westminster, Camden, Lambeth, Bromley, Sutton, Enfield, Haringey, Epping Forest, Watford, Hertsmere, Islington, Hackney, Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Havering, Runnymede, St Albans, Barking & Dagenham, Newham, City of London, Bexley, Woking, Guildford, Reigate & Banstead, Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley, Dacorum and Welwyn Hatfield. Every other authority in England is covered by national planning policy and permitted development law — the report always states which applies.
Questions
Practice FAQs
No. ArchLens produces structured preliminary assessments with every finding traced to its source — GPDO class and limit, council policy reference, or Approved Document paragraph — so you can verify the reasoning quickly. Design judgement, negotiation with officers and responsibility for submissions remain yours.
Citation-locked local policy libraries are currently live for Hounslow, Ealing, Hillingdon, Brent, Richmond upon Thames, Slough, Harrow, Hammersmith & Fulham, Wandsworth, Kingston upon Thames, Spelthorne, Barnet, Merton, Croydon, Redbridge, Elmbridge, Kensington & Chelsea, Windsor & Maidenhead, Three Rivers, Westminster, Camden, Lambeth, Bromley, Sutton, Enfield, Haringey, Epping Forest, Watford, Hertsmere, Islington, Hackney, Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Havering, Runnymede, St Albans, Barking & Dagenham, Newham, City of London, Bexley, Woking, Guildford, Reigate & Banstead, Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley, Dacorum and Welwyn Hatfield. For every other authority in England, proposals are checked against national planning policy and permitted development law, and the report states plainly which coverage applies.
Reports and generated Planning Statements are supporting material for you to review, edit and take responsibility for — the same way you would treat work from a junior team member. The Word export exists precisely so you can refine the document before it goes anywhere near a submission.
Yes. Upload a PDF drawing pack and ArchLens extracts dimensions, construction build-ups, glazing and key features per sheet, then cross-checks them against the questionnaire answers and flags discrepancies with both values shown.
Try it on your next enquiry
Create a free account, run a real project through it, and judge the output yourself.