The Red Line Review
An independent planning second opinion, before you commit six figures. One sentence: what I’d do if it were my money, and why.
Every site you’ll ever buy starts with a red line plan. The Red Line Review shows you where the real red line is: the point past which you should stop spending.
The promise
By the end of a Red Line Review, you’ll know whether I’d spend my own money progressing your site. Everything else — the written review, the comparable evidence, the call — exists to support that sentence.
Every review ends in one sentence
“I’d walk away.”
The evidence says the risk isn’t worth the price. Better to know now.
“I’d proceed — carefully.”
Worth pursuing, with the specific issues that must be resolved named on the page.
“I’d buy it.”
Nothing in the record stands against it. The reasons are set out in full.
Every verdict carries a confidence rating — High, Medium or Low — with the reasons, and where confidence is not high, the specific things I’d need to know before it could be.
What you send
The agent’s particulars, the address, any drawings, your intended purchase price, your development idea, and any planning history you know of.
The four lenses
Planning context
What this borough has actually been approving for similar sites — not a policy summary.
Development potential
The likely approach, scale, constraints and opportunities.
Risk review
The major planning risks, and the unknowns that still need work.
The verdict
The part people actually buy: what I’d do, and why.
What you get
A five-page written review closing on a standalone verdict page, with the comparable evidence and annotated site observations as appendices, and a 45-minute call. The review is built to be forwarded to funders, partners and the professional team.
My verdict
“I’d buy it.”
Confidence: High
A professional judgement, not a prediction. Information, not advice; no reliance.
One price per site. No quoting, no negotiation.
Standard review
£950
Five working days
Fast-track
£1,250
72 hours — auctions, exchange deadlines
A single failed application costs £20,000–35,000+ in abortive professional fees. The review is under five per cent of that number. It pays for itself the first time it changes a decision.
There is no launch discount. There are two commitments instead.
The guarantee
“If, after reading the review, you genuinely don’t think it was worth the fee, I’ll refund it.”
The walk-away promise
“If I tell you to walk away from the site, and you do, I’ll review one replacement site at half price within the next six months.”
The business is never rewarded for encouraging a purchase, only for helping you make a better one.
Who reads your site
Abre Etteh, ARB Registered Architect. Fourteen years in London development. Author of the Merton Small Sites Toolkit SPD — one of only three adopted small-sites design guides in London. Design review panel member.
London small sites, one to nine homes. Not sold for sites in any borough where Perfect Scale holds policy authorship (currently Merton) — a structural separation from the SPD authorship and the design-review seat.
We do not promise approvals. We help clients avoid expensive mistakes.
Questions
Is this a prediction?
No — a professional judgement backed by comparable evidence, never a probability. The confidence rating states how strong the evidence is and how firm my conviction, not a percentage.
What if I don’t think it was worth it?
If, after reading the review, you genuinely don’t think it was worth the fee, I’ll refund it.
What if you tell me to walk away?
If I tell you to walk away from the site, and you do, I’ll review one replacement site at half price within the next six months.
Do you cover Merton?
No. The review is not sold for sites in any borough where Perfect Scale holds policy authorship — currently Merton — a structural separation from the SPD authorship and the design-review seat.
How fast?
Five working days as standard; a 72-hour fast-track at £1,250 for auctions and exchange deadlines.
What do you need from me?
The agent’s particulars, the address, any drawings, your intended purchase price, your development idea, and any planning history you know of.
Start a Red Line Review
Tell me about the site. I’ll confirm scope and next steps by email, usually the same day. Payment follows by invoice once the brief is confirmed.