Planning Permission

Hello everyone

We recently purchased a property near Armacao de Pera. We are planning to make some minor alterations and need to get planning permission from the Town Hall in Silves. We were advised to contact an architect for assistance with this. 

The architect manages the project, drawing up the plans but also submitting them and ensuring all permissions are in place on behalf of the client. But the architect fees are substantial - a very large percentage of our budget.

Obviously we want to do everything by the book so that we are fully legal going forwards. 

But in a practical sense, the works don’t really need architect drawings. A good builder can do these minor works without a full set of drawings.

We have managed to obtain planning permission for works in other locations by submitting our own drawings directly to the local authority. 

Does anyone know what the legal requirements are? Do you need to have a full set of architect drawings to apply for planning permission?

If not, I would guess it is very difficult as a lay person (especially not speaking Portuguese) to navigate this mine field without assistance, so maybe there’s someone out there who has experience and can advise?

Or maybe there are even firms who can take on the permissions process for you in an administrative role using our own drawings - thereby avoiding the full expense of the architect?

Any advice will be really gratefully received.