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This goes for outline and full planning permission or for
listed building consent except for those seeking:
- Changes of use of land or buildings where no operational
development (includes building works) is involved
- Engineering or mining operations
- Development of, or within the curtilage and incidental to the
enjoyment of, an existing dwelling house that is not within a
Conservation Area.
A Design and Access Statement covers the design concepts and
principles and 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.
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.
The statement and outline applications
In the case of an outline application it should
explain the principles that will be used to develop future details
of the scheme, and the Council will seek to ensure these are
adhered to either as part of the Reserved Matters process or
through the use of conditions requiring approval of details.
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:
(1) 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.
(2) 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.
(3) The scale - the height, width and length of a building(s) in
relation to the surroundings.
(4) Landscaping - the treatment of private and public spaces to
enhance or protect the amenities of the site through hard and soft
landscaping measures.
(5) 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:
(1) An assessment of the site's immediate and wider context in
terms of physical, social and economic characteristics and relevant
planning policies.
(2) 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.
(3) 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.
(4) 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:
(1) How arrangements will ensure that all users will have equal
and convenient access to buildings and spaces and to public
transport.
(2) 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.
(3) 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 should be included.
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) at
their website address:
www.cabe.org.uk/services/publications.
The other change introduced relates to Outline Applications
and to Reserved Matters pursuant to outline
permissions.
The information that should be submitted as part of an outline
planning application should always, as a minimum include:
(1) Proposed use or uses
(2) Amount of development
(3) Indicative site layout
(4) Scale parameters
(5) Indicative access point(s)
Reserved Matters will now comprise:
(1) Layout
(2) Scale
(3) Appearance
(4) Access
(5) Landscaping |