Design and Access
Statement
A combined Design and Access
Statement is required to accompany and support a planning
application or an application for listed building
consent.
The purpose of a Design and Access Statement is to look at the
design concepts and principles and address any access issues of a
proposal. The level of detail required will depend on the scale and
complexity of the application, but should justify the proposal in
terms of the design process and a sustainable approach to
access.
Design and access statements are required for all planning
applications, with the following exceptions:
- Engineering or mining operations
- Household developments - where any part of a dwelling house or
its curtilage falls within a designated area
- A material change in the use of land or buildings, unless it
also involves operational development
- Extensions to the time limits for implementing existing
planning permissions
- Development of an existing flat, where any part of the flat
falls within a designated area
- The extension of an existing building used for non-domestic
purposes where the floorspace created by the development does not
exceed 100 square metres and where no part of the building or the
development is within a designated area
- The erection, construction, improvement or alteration of a
gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure, up to 2m high or the
height of the existing means of enclosure, whichever is the higher,
where no part of the building or the development is within a
designated area or the curtilage of a listed building
- Development on operational land consisting of the erection of a
building or structure up to 100 cubic metres in volume and 15m in
height and where no part of the development is within a designated
area
- The alteration of an existing building where the alteration
does not increase the size of the building and where no part of the
building or the development is within a designated area
- The erection, alteration or replacement of plant or machinery
where, as a result of the development, the height of the plant or
machinery would not exceed the greater of 15 metres above ground
level, or the height of the original plant or machinery, and where
no part of the development is within a designated area; or
- Development of land pursuant to section 73 (determination of
applications to develop land without conditions previously
attached) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Exemptions iv to xi come into force in April 2010. Applicants are
advised to refer to Article 4C of the GDPO for full details. A
designated area means a World Heritage Site or a conservation
area.
Design and Access Statements are also not required for applications
relating to:
- Advertisement control
- Tree Preservation Orders
- Storage of hazardous substances
Design and Access Statements are required for applications for
listed building consent.
For most straightforward applications only a short statement,
one page in some cases, may be needed whilst for larger sites and
more complex applications a more detailed format, including
drawings, illustrative plans and photographs may be
necessary.
The statement must not however be used as a substitute for drawings
and other material required to be submitted with the planning
application.
In particular, the Design and Access Statement should describe the
following components of the proposal:
Design
The specific design concepts and principles that should be
referred to are:
- The amount of development - the number of
residential units or floor space for each use and how this will be
distributed across the site, relate to the surroundings and ensure
accessibility is maximised.
- The layout - how buildings, routes and open
spaces (private or public) are provided, placed and orientated etc.
in relation to each other and the surroundings.
- The scale - the height, width and length of a
building(s) in relation to the surroundings.
- Landscaping - the treatment of private and
public spaces to enhance or protect the amenities of the site
through hard and soft landscaping measures.
- The appearance - the visual impression made by
a place or building including the external built form/architecture,
materials, decoration, lighting, colour and texture.
Context
An appraisal of the context of the proposed development should
include:
- An assessment of the site's immediate and wider context in
terms of physical, social and economic characteristics and relevant
planning policies.
- Any involvement/consultation undertaken with community members
and professionals such as local community and access groups,
planning, building control, conservation, design and access
officers and how this has affected the proposal.
- An evaluation of the information collected on the site's
immediate and wider context, identifying opportunities and
constraints and formulating design and access principles for the
development.
- The design of the scheme using all of the
above.
Access
This relates only to access to the development, not to internal
aspects of individual building, and should explain:
- How arrangements will ensure that all users will have equal and
convenient access to buildings and spaces and to public
transport.
- The policy and approach adopted in relation to access, with
particular reference to the inclusion of disabled people and access
for the emergency services, circulation routes and egress from
buildings in the event of emergency evacuation.
- How relevant policies in local development documents have been
taken into account together with information on any consultation
undertaken which may have informed the development
proposals.
The above represents only a summary of the main elements for
inclusion in the Design and Access Statement. For full guidance,
applicants are recommended to consult the Commission for
Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) by
visiting their website.