New government legislation, introduced in August 2006, requires that a Design and Access Statement should accompany most planning applications (both full and outline) and applications for listed building consent.
What is its purpose?
The purpose of the Statement is to demonstrate that due consideration has been given to design and access aspects. The Statement should illustrate or describe the details appropriately as well as to explain and justify what is being proposed with respect to the various elements. It should provide proof of the rigour of the design process and show that suitable provision has been made for both vehicular and inclusive access.
What should it include?
Broadly speaking, the design component of the Statement should demonstrate assessment, involvement, evaluation and design activities with respect to the following characteristics of the proposed scheme:
- Land use
- Amount
- Layout
- Scale
- Landscaping
- Appearance
The access component should identify transport links and the integration with public transport as well as provision for inclusive access regardless of age, disability, ethnicity or social grouping.
When is it needed?
Most applications (including outline applications) require the inclusion of a Design & Access Statement. Ones that do not are as follows:
- Householder applications (unless the house lies within a Conservation Area or is a Listed Building);
- Change of Use (unless external alterations are included as part of the application);
- Tree applications;
- Advertisement applications.
Guidance
A brief guide to preparing a Design and Access Statement is provided in the following leaflets:
Detailed advice is available from CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment).
Background Information
Details of the August 2006 changes to the system can be found in the following leaflet:
Please note that this leaflet also describes other changes to the system, aside from Design and Access Statements, i.e. relating to information submitted with outline applications.