STREAMLINING INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS FOR
PLANNING APPLICATIONS
APRIL 2013
Streamlining information requirements for planning applications.
Streamlining information requirements for planning applications.
1.
Introduction / process:
1.1 Local validation requirements were introduced through the Government’s
1App initiative in 2007. Along with the introduction of national standard
application forms and validation requirements, Local Planning Authorities
(LPA’s) were given the opportunity to create local validation lists. These
local lists contained those documents the LPA considered necessary to
enable it to consider and determine each different application type.
1.2 Since the adoption of Bedford Borough Council’s local lists in 2008, the
requirements set out in these lists have not been reviewed or changed.
1.3 Paragraph 193 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states
that local lists should be reviewed “on a frequent basis”. Moreover, it
states that local planning authorities should only request supporting
information that is relevant, necessary and material to the application in
question. Therefore, in accordance with the NPPF and also with the
Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) publication
“Streamlining information requirements for planning applications”
consultation document (December 2012), Bedford Borough Council is
undertaking a revision of its local lists.
1.4 This report sets out the proposed revisions to the Council’s local
validation requirements and the reasoning behind these proposed
revisions. This process will generally follow the recommendations given
in DCLG ‘Guidance on information requirements and validation’ (March,
2010).
1.5 Consultation on the proposed changes to the local lists will be for a
period of 8 weeks. The views of all those consulted will be considered
and taken into account when the Council finalises the revised lists for
publication. They will be published on the Council’s website, with revised
guidance notes, where necessary.
2.
Reviewing the existing local lists:
2.1 The Council currently has local lists published for each of the 29
standard application forms that were published by the Government’s
Planning Portal for general use by local planning authorities.
2.2 However, despite the large number of different forms, some of the most
frequently used forms are each used for a range of application types and
so the Local List requirements are not necessarily strictly relevant to
each individual application. Some rationalisation of the requirements is
now necessary.
2.3 In addition, the recent replacement or revocation of many standard
national planning guidance documents including Planning Policy
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Streamlining information requirements for planning applications.
Statements (PPS’s) and Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG’s) by the
NPPF has created a further reason for an updating of the local lists.
3.
Proposed revisions:
3.1
The following section outlines the proposed revisions to the Council’s
local validation lists. Where a requirement is being deleted from a list,
the changes are briefly discussed.
3.2
For the avoidance of doubt, the proposals do not include the addition of
any new requirements to the existing local lists. In addition, only a small
number out of the 29 forms available are used on a regular basis. Table
1 summarizes those application types which are more frequently used
and where the proposed amendments to the relevant list include the
deletion of one or more requirements.
Table 1: Proposed deletion of Local List requirements for the most used
application types.
FORM No.
DELETE LOCAL VALIDATION REQUIREMENT
1 (Householder application for planning permission for works or extension to an existing
dwelling)
Delete:
Biodiversity Survey and Report
Daylight/sunlight Assessment
Noise Assessment
Parking Provision
Waste Audits and Assessments
2 (Householder application for planning permission for works or extension to an existing
dwelling together with Conservation Area consent)
Delete:
As above for Form 1
3 (Householder application for planning permission for works or extension to an existing
dwelling together with Listed Building consent)
Delete:
As above for Form 1
Planning Statement
Structural Survey
11 (Listed Building consent for alterations, extension or demolition of a listed building)
Delete:
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Streamlining information requirements for planning applications.
Photographs/Photomontages or Streetscene Elevations
Planning Statement
Waste Audits and Assessments
12 (Application for Advertisement consent)
Delete:
All Local Validation Requirements
Reasoning
Forms 1, 2 & 3: Householder developments plus those including
associated conservation area consent or listed building consent
3.2.1 The requirements for a biodiversity survey and report, noise
assessment and waste audit and assessment are more generally
applicable to proposals for new residential development rather than for
“householder” developments which relate to existing dwellings. These
three requirements are therefore proposed to be removed from the
local lists for Forms 1, 2 and 3 which all relate to householder
development.
3.2.2 Existing Design codes contained within the Council’s Supplementary
Planning Guidance document ‘Residential extensions, new dwellings
and small infill developments’ provide detailed advice on
daylight/sunlight assessments (Design code E6) and parking provision
(Design code E4).
3.2.3 The tests undertaken in respect of daylight and sunlight are clearly
identified within design code E6 and are completed by officers where
applicable during the processing of applications. The need for this
information to be supplied by the applicant prior to validation is not
therefore deemed necessary (though they may still choose to do so if
they wish)
3.2.4 Similarly, with parking provision on site, a large percentage of proposed
householder developments will not have an impact on the parking
provision of the site in question. Where a proposed development might
have an impact, adequate information is usually provided on site/block
plans (as required under the National lists). Where additional
information may be required, it is considered most appropriate, in light
of the scale of householder developments, that this information is
sought by the case officer post-validation.
3.2.5 Where a householder development also includes works requiring listed
building consent (Form 3) it is proposed to delete the requirement for
both a planning statement and a structural survey. Applications that
include works to a listed building are required to submit a Heritage
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Streamlining information requirements for planning applications.
Statement which generally contains such information if it is necessary
and appropriate to that particular case.
Form 11: Listed Building consent
3.2.6 As highlighted in Paragraph 3.2.5 above, applications for works to
listed buildings require the submission of a Heritage Statement. The
Heritage Statement should provide a discussion of the ‘heritage asset’
in question (based on the level and complexity of work proposed),
including photographs where applicable. Therefore, as in the case
above for Form 3, the information provided in a Heritage Statement will
normally be adequate.
3.2.7 Any associated requirement for a waste audit and assessment would
arise if the proposal also requires planning permission and so should
be required in appropriate cases involving a planning application and
not the application for listed building consent.
Form 13: Advertisement consent
3.2.8 In determining applications for advertisement consent, the LPA can
only give consideration to matters involving public (mainly highway)
safety and amenity. It is not considered therefore that the submission of
a planning statement or of photographs/photomontages and/or of street
scene elevations is necessary before an application for advertisement
consent is validated. An appropriate level of detail can already be
obtained through the national validation requirements.
3.2.9 Where proposed advertisements are illuminated, details of the type and
level of illumination are required under national requirements. The
requirement in the Local List for a further lighting assessment prior to
validation is therefore not necessary.
Further proposed amendments to validation requirements
3.2.10 As they were created in 2007 and adopted/published by the Council in
2008, the local validation lists include outdated references to PPS’s
and PPG’s. Since the replacement or revocation of these documents
by the NPPF, the new Lists can no longer include any references to
PPS’s and PPG’s.
3.2.11 Where appropriate, references to other government, statutory or local
information or links have been updated or deleted as necessary and
these are shown in Table 2. These changes are mainly in respect of
the requirements for Transport Assessments and Statements, Heritage
Statements, Health Impact Assessments, Tree Survey/Arboricultural
Implications, and Waste Audits and Assessments. A full revised list of
requirements is shown in the related Appendices on the Council’s
website.
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Streamlining information requirements for planning applications.
Table 2: Local List Requirements: Proposed Detailed Changes (See
separate Appendices for complete proposed new text for each
Requirement)
LOCAL LIST
REQUIREMENT
PROPOSED CONTENT CHANGE
Air Quality Assessment
delete sentence containing PPS23 starting “Further advice
is available”
Update Bedford Borough Council weblink
delete paragraph 6 starting “Government planning
policies”
update Bedford Borough Council weblink
Biodiversity Survey and
Report
Daylight/Sunlight
Assessment
Sustainability
Statement and Energy
Audit
Flood Risk Assessment
Health Impact
Assessment
Heritage Statement
Housing Statement
Noise Assessment
Open Space
Assessment
Parking Provision
Planning Obligations
Draft Head(s) of Terms
Planning Statement
Retail/Town Centre
Uses
Statement of
Community
Involvement
Transport Assessment
Travel Plan
Tree
Survey/Arboricultural
Implications
Waste Audits and
Assessments
update Bedford Borough Council weblink
delete sentence starting “Planning Policy Statement 25”
from paragraph 5
remove PCT contact and advice
Rewritten
update Bedford Borough Council weblink. Change
dwelling threshold to include rural (villages of a population
less than 3000) and urban
delete sentence containing PPG24 starting “Further
guidance is provided”
delete last sentence starting “National planning policy”
update Bedford Borough Council weblink
to include draft template of a simple agreement
delete “change of use and listed building applications” in
respect of when a planning statement is required
delete reference to PPS6
delete sentence starting “Further guidance on Statements”
delete first sentence starting “Planning Policy Guidance
13”
update ‘Use Class Indicative threshold table’ to include
changes to the Town and Country Planning Use Classes
Order in line with the current standards as given by the
Department for Transport
Rewritten
Rewritten
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Streamlining information requirements for planning applications.
3.2.12 A large percentage of applications submitted to the Council are now
sent using the online Planning Portal facility. However applications can
still be submitted as hard copies if the applicant so wishes. In those
cases, it is now proposed that the number of copies of forms and plans
required for submission should be reduced from the current minimum
of 4 (1 original + 3 copies) to a minimum of 3 (1 original + 2 copies).
For Householder applications, the requirement will be a minimum of 2
(1 original + 1 copy).
4.
Summary: The Next Steps
4.1
This report sets out the proposed revisions to Bedford Borough
Council’s Local Validation Lists. The proposed changes are intended to
be in line with the requirements of Paragraph 193 of the NPPF and the
Department for Communities and Local Government publication
”Streamlining information requirements for planning applications”
consultation document (December 2012).
Comments are therefore invited in respect of the following:-
The proposed changes set out in Table 1 of this report
The proposed changes set out if Table 2 of this report
The amendments to the detailed descriptions of each Requirement
as set out in the separate Appendices to this report
4.2
The views of stakeholders on the proposed changes are invited and
should be submitted to the Council by 13th June 2013 (Please either
write to The Planning Service at Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street,
Bedford MK42 9AP or email [email protected] and mark your
comments for the attention of the Head of Development Management).
4.3
Consideration will be given to all responses received and the new lists
will be published for use before 31st July 2013, at which time all
respondents to the consultation will be notified.
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