Appendix 15: Design and Access Statements
The Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Amendment) (England) Order 2006 requires the submission of a Design and Access Statement for all planning applications except for:
-
engineering or mining operations;
-
development of an existing dwelling house, or development within the curtilage of a dwelling house for any purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwelling house, where no part of that dwellinghouse or curtilage is within a designated area (“designated area” means a National Park, Site of Special Scientific Interest, Conservation Area, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, World Heritage Site or the Broads); and
-
a material change in the use of land or buildings, unless it also involves operational development.
The purpose of the Design and Access Statement is to explain and justify the design principles and concepts that have been applied to the development; and how the uses relating to access to the development have been dealt with. It should support other detailed material submitted as part of a planning application. It should demonstrate the steps taken to appraise the context of the development and how the design of the development responds to that context.
The design component of a statement should cover seven elements:
-
response to context in terms of how the physical, social, economic and policy context of the development has informed its design in relation to each of the six other design elements below;
-
quantum or amount of development proposed for each use expressed in terms of the number of residential units or floor space for other forms of development;
-
use or mix of uses proposed;
-
layout, the buildings, routes and open spaces within the development and their relationship to buildings and spaces outside the development;
-
scale, height, width and length of each proposed building;
-
landscaping enhancement or protection of the amenities of the site and the area in which it is situated, including screening and planting; and
-
appearance, aspects of a building or place which determine the visual impression it makes, including the external built form of the development.
Where an application for listed building consent is required, the Design and Access Statement should include a brief explanation of how design policies and approaches have taken account of paragraph 3.5 of Planning Policy Guidance note 15 (PPG15): Planning and the Historic Environment, and in particular:
- the historic and architectural importance of the building;
- the particular physical features of the building that justify its designation as a listed building; and
- the building’s setting.
In relation to issues concerning access to the development, a design and access statement should:
-
explain the policy or approach adopted to accessibility, and how policies relating to accessibility in the development plan have been taken into account;
-
state what, if any, consultation has been undertaken and what account has been taken of the outcome of any consultation;
-
explain how any specific issues which might affect the accessibility of the development have been addressed;
-
explain how prospective users will be able to access the development from the existing transport network;
-
explain why the main points of access to the site and the layout of access routes within the site have been chosen;
-
identify how features which ensure access to the development will be maintained;
-
provide details of number of car parking and cycle parking spaces proposed; and
-
explain whether a Transport Assessment and/or Travel Plan has been prepared, and if not, why not.
The level of detail required in a Design and Access Statement will depend on the scale and complexity of the application. Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Circular 01/2006 “Guidance on changes to the development control system” Section 3 provides further guidance regarding design and access statements, which is currently available on http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/circularcommunities2. Regional guidance on design statements is currently available on www.designstatement.co.uk. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) is a non-statutory planning consultee and its Design Review team provides free advice on the design of major schemes. CABE has prepared a guide “Design and access statements: how to write, read and use them” which is currently available on http://www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=1334.