Exemption procedure or building permit

These are fundamental things that every architect MUST recognize. That's what they get paid for. I also can't say, "OOPS, one floor more than allowed - we didn't see it."

If there are exemption procedures, I would always use them. Exception: You really have to trick and try to squeeze your house into the development plan at all costs.
In our case, there was never any inspection either – what is there to check? The authority does not review, does not measure, and therefore does not come out (at least here in NRW).

The existing garage did not count as a parking space because the employee on the construction site knows it's only a matter of time before it collapses. We had tried.

Small update from me:

I spoke with the LRA and they said the costs are 0.1% of the construction sum + processing of the deviation from the development plan.
Because - here it comes - according to an employee at the LRA, a building permit is only possible if there is a planned deviation from the development plan. Otherwise, it is automatically a release. Someone should make sense of that

Let's see what the architect says about it.

An employee at the LRA also said: "It shouldn't be that hard to comply with the development plan for an architect"

Because - here it comes - a building permit is only possible according to MA LRA if there is a planned deviation from the development plan. Otherwise, it is automatically an exemption.

Even in authorities, there are people who talk nonsense or at least express themselves ambiguously. The correct thing is: without deviation, the exemption is sufficient. But the sought legal certainty must not be denied to the builder, nor should it be made dependent on wanting a special exception at the same time.

The employee at the LRA said, by the way: "It shouldn't be that hard to adhere to the development plan for an architect"

I agree with that, though.

The employee at the LRA said, by the way: "It shouldn't be that hard to adhere to the development plan, especially for an architect."

Nonsense. I almost read cases here monthly citing reasonable grounds to apply for deviations. Competence in reading development plans can probably be assumed for architects - but sometimes you just need a dormer to be a bit wider.