Design and Access Statements
A Design and Access Statement must accompany applications for both outline and full planning permission unless they relate to one of the following:
- A material change of use of land and buildings, (unless it also involves operational development);
- Engineering or mining operations;
- Householder developments. However, statements are required for applications where any part of a dwelling house or its curtilage fall within one of the following designated areas:
National Park
Site of special scientific interest
Conservation area
Area of outstanding natural beauty
World Heritage Site
The Broads
A design and access statement is a short report accompanying and supporting a planning application that should seek to explain and justify the proposal in a structured way. The level of detail required in a design and access statement will depend on the scale and complexity of the application, and the length of the statement will vary accordingly. The design and access statement should cover both the design principles and concepts that have been applied to the proposed development and how issues relating to access to the development have been dealt with. It should include the principles included to assist community saftey and measures to be incorporated to achieve a sustainable development. The Borough Council's SPD on Residential Development and design for community saftey offer important advice. A design and access statement should be proportionate to the complexity of the application, but need not be long. What is required in a design and access statement is set out in article 4C of the GDPO and Department for Communities and Local Government Circular 01/06 – Guidance on Changes to the Development Control System.
Amber Valley SPD Residential Development
Amber Valley SPD Community Saftey
Applications for listed building consent will also be required to be accompanied by a design and access statement. In particular, such a statement should address:
(i) the special architectural or historic interest of the building;
(ii) the particular physical features of the building that justify its designation as a listed building; and
(iii) the building’s setting.
The legislative requirements are set out in regulation 3A of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Regulations 1990.
