Information in applications checklist
As part of an outline planning application, you might reasonably expect a developer to provide the following (as long as this has been made clear as part of pre-application discussion):
| Issue | Note |
|---|---|
| A completed South West Sustainability Checklist http://www.checklistsouthwest.co.uk/ or other sustainability statement | At this stage, it might be expected that some of the issues covered are to be covered by reserved matters as the detail of all design features is unlikely to have been resolved. |
| If the development is subject to policies which include targets for performance under the Code for Sustainable Homes and/or BREEAM, then pre-assessment (s) should be provided. |
A pre-assessment should clearly set out how the developer intends to meet the targets. At this stage, you should not expect to see issues fully signed off by a BREEAM or Code assessor as the pre-assessment does not form a formal part of the assessment process. You should however by confident that the applicant has taken the advice of an assessor as, whilst this is not compulsory, it will help ensure that the impact of credits have been properly considered. Areas where a degree of certainty are likely include those relating to site location and the existing condition of the site, such as;
|
| An outline energy statement or strategy |
This should set out:
|
| Evidence that the energy hierarchy has been followed |
Evidence should include a clear confirmation that the levels of energy efficiency which have been adopted in order to achieve a particular level of performance have not been compromised due to the inclusion of renewable or low-carbon energy sources. Developers may try to achieve required performance by using LZCs either without addressing energy efficiency or by not doing as much as they could or should. It may be the case that it is more cost effective to use LZCs rather than energy efficiency to reach a performance level but as a general principle, it is important that the amount of energy demanded by the development is reduced as far as practicable before the use of LZCs. |
| If the developer is proposing a preferred energy supply solution at this stage, is this reflected in the masterplan? |
The masterplan should include consideration of (depending on the solution put forward):
|
This information could be included as an appendix to the Design and Access Statement.
As part of a full or reserved matters application, you might reasonably expect a developer to provide the following (as long as this has been made clear as part of pre-application discussion):
| Issue | Note |
|---|---|
| a completed South West Sustainability Checklist or other sustainability statement |
If the application was preceded by an outline application, then detail should be provided for those matters that were reserved in the original application and checklist. A significant proportion of site related issues should have been resolved at this stage. Issues relating to individual buildings may still be outstanding (in terms of detailed building services design and so on) but major factors such as building orientation and form and firm principles for energy should be in place. |
| If the targets relate to them, Code for Sustainable Homes and/or BREEAM design stage assessment; |
The full design stage assessment is unlikely to have been completed at this stage so you should not expect it to be submitted with the application. You could, however, reasonably expect the formal assessment process to have started and some issues could have already been signed off by the assessor at this stage (see outline applications above). In any event, there should be more detailed and positive statements regarding the developers commitment to achieving individual issues throughout the assessment. |
| A detailed energy statement or strategy | Setting out, in addition to the list given for the outline application, a preferred strategy for delivering the required sustainable energy target. |
