Planning Application Requirements

Information on the what is required to support your application including details of the validation criteria, design and access statements and planning fees and local requirements for validation.

Validation criteria

Oadby and Wigston Borough Council - Planning application requirements - august 2011 (PDF Document, 501.4 Kb)

Central government have produced guidance on what is required in the submission of a planning application. This is contained in the publication 'Guidance on information requirements and validation' which can be downloaded below.

Guidance on Information Requirements and Validation - March 2010 (PDF Document, 335.16 Kb)

This essentially sets out the following national requirements for applications as follows:

1. Completion of the standard application form (where applicants need to answer all questions). This also includes ownership certificates, agricultural land declarations and any notice required to be served on any land owner,
2. A location plan
3. A site plan
4. The correct fee
5. A design and access statement (when required – see below)

Four copies of each document needs to be submitted if in paper format (one original and three copies).

In addition to these national criterion, there are also local requirements for validation which are covered below.

The location plan

The location plan must include copies of a location plan based on an up-to-date map and be at an identified standard metric scale (typically 1:1250 or 1:2500 but wherever possible the plan should be scaled to fit onto A4 or A3 size paper). Plans should identify sufficient roads and or buildings on land adjoining the application site to ensure that the exact location of the application site is clear.

The application site should be edged clearly with a red line. It should include all land necessary to carry out the proposed development, for example, land required for access to the site from a public highway, visibility splays, landscaping, car parking and open areas round buildings. A blue line should be drawn round any other land owned by the applicant, close to or adjoining the application site.

Site plan

A site plan should also be submitted. The site plan should be drawn at an identified standard metric scale and must show the proposed development in relation to the site boundaries and other existing buildings on the site, with written dimensions including those to the boundaries together with the direction of north.

In addition to the above the following must also been shown, unless these would not influence or be affected by the proposed development:

1. all the buildings, roads and footpaths on land adjoining the site including access arrangements;
2. all public rights of way crossing or adjoining the site;
3. the position of all trees on the site, and those on adjacent land;
4. the extent and type of any hard surfacing; and
5. boundary treatment including walls or fencing where this is proposed

The correct fee

Most application require the payment of a fee to the local planning authority which is designed to cover the cost of processing the application. Planning Fees are currently set nationally – although a recent consultation had indicated that this may change in the future so that each local planning authority can set their own fee structure.

Guidance on planning fees can be found in Central Government Circular 04/2008 – which is entitled Planning Related Fees. Alternatively, the Planning Portal has a fee calculator which can assist in fee calculations. However, the determination of the correct fee rests with the local planning authority and we would be happy to advise you of the correct fee.

Circular 04-2008 : planning related fees (PDF Document, 306.48 Kb)

If you submitting a householder application, there is currently a flat rate fee of £150 per application, unless your proposal only requires planning permission because of restriction imposed on a previous application relating to your property (the removal of permitted development rights).

Design and access statements

The requirement for design and access statements were introduced in August 2006. However, changes to when a design and access statement is required occurred in March 2010 and again in October 2010 when the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) order came into effect.

A summary of when a design and access statement is required can be found in the attached document below.

Do i need a design and access statement (PDF Document, 35.6 Kb)

In brief, a design and access statement needs to explain:

• how design principles and concepts that have been applied to the proposed development - for example relating to the amount, layout, scale, landscaping and appearance of the development, and how the design of the development takes into account its context.
• how issues regarding access to the development have been considered – for example the policy adopted relating to access and how relevant development plan policies have been taken into account, whether any consultation has been undertaken, how any issues which might affect access have been addressed, how prospective users will be able to gain access to the development from the existing transport network, reasons for choosing the main points of access to the site and the layout of internal routes, and how features which ensure access will be maintained.
• how, for applications for listed building consent, the design principles and concepts that have been applied to the scale, layout and appearance of the works, and how these and the adopted policy relating to access take account of the special architectural or historic importance of the building, any important physical features of the building, and the building’s setting.

To assist in ensuring that the content of the statement is acceptable we have produced a check list for design and access statements to help applicants and agents ensure that they cover each of the criteria in sufficient detail. It is recommended that the headings and subheadings are used to help structure the statement.

Checklist - design and access statements (PDF Document, 52.29 Kb)

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), have also produced useful guidance on the content of design and access statements and how to write them.

CABE website page on design and access statements

There is further information on when a design and access statement is required together with details of what a statement should contain is detailed in the 'Guidance on information requirements and validation' document at section 6 – page 26 onwards (although it should be noted that the information on when a design and access statement is required has been superseded by the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) Order.)

Guidance on Information Requirements and Validation - March 2010 (PDF Document, 335.16 Kb)

Outline planning applications

When an outline planning application is submitted there will always be a requirement to detail the use and amount of the development. There is also a basic level of information required for the layout, scale and access aspects of the proposal even if they are to be reserved for future consideration.

Therefore, as a minimum, you will be required to include the information below.

Use - The proposed use or uses, including any distinct development zones within the site (which might include the broad location of any new dwelling or dwellings).

Amount of development - the amount of development for each use (which for new residential development would be the number of residential units).

An Indicative Layout plan - which may show development zones if appropriate.

Scale Parameters - To include the upper and lower limits for the height, width and length of each building proposed.

Indicative Access points - to show an area, or areas, where the access point(s) might be.

Local requirement for validation

The Council has a local list of requirements for applications which has been prepared jointly with the majority of other Leicestershire local planning authorities.

Following the preparation and consultation on the document Oadby and Wigston Borough Council formally adopted the local list at its Development Control Committee on the 5 June 2008.

These requirements are required to be submitted for any application in addition to the national requirements. However, not all local list requirements will be necessary for every application and applicants are therefore advised to discuss what is required prior to the submission of a formal application as any application which does not meet the requirements set out in both the national and local list it will be considered to be invalid.

The central government document 'Guidance on information requirements and validation' amended the national requirements for planning applications and required local planning authority's to review their local requirements. The review of the local list has now been completed (the consultation period being between the 8 April 2011 and the 3 June 2011) and was formally adopted by Oadby and Wigston Borough Council by its Development Control Committee on the 11 August 2011.

Further details on the consultation period and the responses made can be found on Charnwood Borough Council’s web site

The current planning application requirements documents, incorporating both national and local requirements, cane be downloaded below :-

Planning application requirements - august 2011 (PDF Document, 501.4 Kb)