Site analysis reads the site properly before anything is designed on it. It maps what is already there — the constraints, opportunities, neighbours, light, ground, drainage, trees, access, acoustic and visual context — and translates them into design parameters a scheme has to work within. It is not a survey (which measures) or a feasibility study (which tests options); it sits between the two.
When to commission it separately
Before buying land that has not been built on, or has been built on badly.
When issuing a brief to multiple designers — a shared analysis stops each entrant duplicating the discovery work.
When a scheme has failed at planning and you need to know why. Refusal reasons often point back to a condition missed at the start.
When multiple owners are involved, or a phased development is planned. The analysis becomes the shared reference document.
What we examine
Physical. Topography, levels, ground conditions, orientation, sun path, prevailing wind, drainage, services.
Legal. Boundaries, easements, covenants, rights of way, planning designations, listed status, TPOs, Article 4 directions, planning history.
Movement. Vehicular, pedestrian, cycle and servicing routes. Highway constraints.
Environmental. Ecology, protected species, trees, flood zone, drainage, air quality, noise.
Visual. Views in and out, sightlines, adjacent heights, character, materials palette.
Social. Neighbours, existing patterns of use, likely stakeholder reactions.
What we deliver
A written report by theme (drawing conclusions, not just listing observations), analysis diagrams over an OS or site plan base, a consolidated constraints-and-opportunities plan, and a short set of design parameters for the next stage.
What we deliver
- Written report with findings and design implications
- Sun path and aspect analysis diagrams
- Constraints and opportunities plan
- Movement, access and servicing analysis
- Views and townscape context diagrams
- Trees, ecology and protected features plan
- Boundary, easements and covenants summary
- Design parameters brief for the next stage
How the process runs
Instruction
Confirm the scope and purpose. Fixed fee agreed before starting.
Site visit
Structured visit at the right time for the aspect being analysed.
Desktop research
Planning, ecology, Land Registry, TPOs. All checked against current sources.
Analysis & drawings
Findings mapped as diagrams, reduced to a short design brief.
Handover
Report issued and walked through in a meeting.
Standards and regulations that apply
The sources we work from as standard.
Base topographic data. Always confirmed against a site visit.
Boundaries, easements, covenants, rights of way.
Conservation areas, Article 4 directions, listed buildings, TPOs.
Ecology, protected species, flood zones, designated sites.
The British Standard for trees in relation to design and construction.
The local authority-held record of heritage and archaeology.
Common questions
Is it the same as a site survey? +
No. A survey measures the site; site analysis interprets what those measurements mean for design.
Do I need it if you’re doing my feasibility study? +
No — it’s included as the first stage of every feasibility study. Only worth commissioning separately when needed independently of design work.
How long does it take? +
Residential-scale: two to three weeks. Larger or complex sites: four to six.
Can you analyse a site before I’ve bought it? +
Yes, and it’s often the most valuable time. Desktop research and design-parameter conclusions don’t need physical access.
What if it identifies a serious problem? +
You’ve found it in the cheapest possible way. Common examples: unregistered rights of way, undisclosed TPOs, ground contamination indicators. Better to know before you commit.
Do you cover commercial and industrial? +
Yes. Same framework, different emphasis — servicing, contamination and industrial constraint typically carry more weight than residential amenity.
Get in touch and we’ll confirm what would be involved for your site.