|
Section 42 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase
Act 2004 (link opens in a new window) and the
Town and Country Planning (General Development
Procedure) (Amendment) (England) Order 2006, section 4C (link
opens in a new window) requires that a statement covering design
concepts and principles and access issues is submitted with an
application for planning permission made after 10th August
2006.
What applications require Design and Access statements?
A statement is required to accompany all planning applications,
except those for
- engineering or mining operations;
- a material change in the use of land or buildings;
- householder development.
As a guide, the Planning Authority considers that the acts of
development related to landfilling are engineering operations and
do not therefore require a Design and Access Statement. Other
facilities where waste is taken for processing and in the case of
incineration, disposal require Design and Access Statements in
respect of their construction, but their subsequent operation is
not development itself requiring a Design and Access Statement.
The submission of a Design and Access Statement (where required)
is a validation issue. Applications made without the
necessary statement will be treated as invalid.
Scope of the Statement
Communities and Local Government has provided guidance on the
requirement and purpose of the Statement. It advises that a design
and access statement:
'is a short report accompanying and supporting a planning
application to illustrate the process that has led to the
development proposal, and to explain and justify the proposal in a
structured way.
They provide an opportunity for developers and designers to
demonstrate their commitment to achieving good design and ensuring
accessibility in the work they undertake, and to allow them to show
how they are meeting, or will meet the various obligations placed
on them by legislation and policy.'
The Statement should address in one statement the following
aspects:
- the design principles and concepts that have been applied to
the proposals, with regard to the amount, layout, scale, appearance
and landscaping of the proposed development, including how the
proposed design takes into account its local context;
- the considerations given to equal access, explaining the policy
adopted and how policies relating to access in relevant local
development documents have been taken into account;
- explain how specific issues which might affect access have been
addressed; how prospective users will be able to gain access from
the existing transport network; why the main points of access and
layout of internal access routes have been chosen and how features
which ensure access will be maintained;
- state what, if any consultation has been undertaken on access
issues and what account has been taken of the outcome of any
consultation.
Further Guidance
Details of the statutory requirement and more detailed advice
about preparing a Design and Access Statement is available in the
following documents:
If you wish to discuss the content of a Design and Access
Statement or are in doubt as to whether one is necessary, contact
the Planning Applications Group, 1st Floor Invicta House, County
Hall Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XX or
planning.applications@kent.gov.uk. |