Any application for planning permission or listed building consent must now contain a design and access statement (excluding applications for change of use and householder applications).

These statements should set out how elements of design, such as character and disability access, have been considered and provide local authorities and communities with a greater understanding of what is being proposed and what a final development might look like. Applicants will be under an obligation to demonstrate that they have looked carefully at all of these elements to ensure that their proposals exhibit good design.

Design: The statement should explain the design principles and concepts that have been applied to the following aspects of the proposal:

Amount: The planning application will say how much development is being applied for.  The statement needs to explain why this is an appropriate amount.  In small applications, the amount proposed may be obvious, for example one or two houses, and the statement will not need to say much more than how this can be built on the site, but, for large applications, explaining the development's density may become relevant.

Layout: The application drawings should show the layout on the site or, for outline applications, an indicative layout. The statement should explain why this layout has been chosen, and how it will work and fit with its surroundings. For small developments this may be very simple, for example, just saying that the building faces an existing road. But for larger plans, the layout may be balancing a variety of design features such as solar gain, crime prevention and accessibility. In these cases, statements should clearly explain the design decisions that have been made.

Scale: Scale means the size of buildings and spaces, and details will be set out in the planning application. The maximum and minimum sizes will need to be included in outline applications. The statement needs to show why those sizes are right for the site, which often means explaining how the size of new buildings relates to the size of existing neighbouring ones. Size also affects whether new buildings and spaces will be economically viable, and the statement should explain why the scale proposed provides an appropriate level of accommodation.

Landscaping: Landscape design is often seen as something to think about after planning permission has been granted. It is understandable that people applying for permission may not want to finalise the exact details of things like paving materials or plant species until they are sure the plan has been approved. But leaving landscaping to the end of the design process is not appropriate, so, the statement should explain the principles that will be used to draw up the landscape details. This means landscape decisions can be considered in tandem with all other design issues, which will help to create better places.

Appearance: What a place will look like is often mistakenly understood to mean its design. This in turn is often wrongly read to mean architectural style. But appearance is really the visual representation of all the decisions that went into the design. So, layout, scale and landscaping will all affect what a place looks like. The statement needs to explain what the person applying for permission wants the place to look like and why. It also needs to explain how a good appearance will be achieved and maintained.

Access: In this section of the statement, applicants must explain how the proposed access arrangements will ensure that all users have equal and convenience access to buildings, spaces and the public transport network. consideration should also be given to access for emergency services. For outline applications, where access is reserved, the application should still indicate location of points of access to the site.

What to include

Amount:

The statement should show that the amount of development planned takes into account how much development is suitable for the site. This should take account of the various restrictions identified in the site analysis and the aims of good urban design. The statement should not try to justify development that has already been decided on.

Building amounts can be shown in many ways, and it can be useful to explain why measurement techniques have been used or even explain the amount in different ways. For example, the 'homes per hectare' figure can mean very different building amounts and numbers of residents, depending on the size of the homes, so providing floor-space figures as well may be useful.

It is important to show how the scheme affects the way the area works. Factors include the number of people there will be around, as well as the quality of the buildings and spaces. So, it can be useful to give an idea of possible occupancy levels, whether for homes or workspaces, and footfall for shops and leisure uses.

The application quite rightly relates to a specific site. But usage is not confined to site boundaries, and it is often the overall neighbourhood density that matters most in creating successful communities. So, for major developments, explaining how the amount of development planned will change the neighbourhood (for example, adding services and open space, supporting local businesses or placing more demand on local services) can help to show how appropriate the scheme would be.

Layout:

The statement should explain how the buildings and spaces in and around the site would work together. So, it may be worthwhile explaining why buildings face the way they do, why entrances are where they are and how these aspects relate to changes in levels, existing buildings, natural features and infrastructure.

The statement should make clear how the layout will allow inclusive access to and through the site.

It can be very useful to explain the purpose of different parts of the site and the placement of certain buildings or spaces.

There are many potentially conflicting pressures on layout design, and it can be useful for the statement to explain what the applicant considers these to be and which ones have been given priority.

Similarly, for complex sites, it can help negotiations to show how the design has developed and how different layouts and options have been considered but rejected.

Scale:

Drawings that show the relationship between existing buildings on or around the site and those proposed will normally be very useful. For example, the statement could explain why a prominent site can successfully accommodate buildings larger than those surrounding it, while other sites may not be as flexible.

The statement should show that the scale of the development takes account of the restrictions of the site and the need for good design. It should not try to justify fitting a predetermined amount of accommodation onto a site.

It is important to get the three-dimensional aspect of scale across. Computer graphics or plans can often flatten or distort a view, and so mislead the people reading the statement. Pictures should also place the viewer where people would really be, and offer a realistic interpretation of the scale of open space as well as buildings.

The scale of parts of a building and how they work together can be very important. So, the statement should explain how the design considers the balance of features such as doors, windows and detailing for example window sill heights and door widths.

Landscaping:

Landscape design is about much more than plants. It includes all treatments of outdoor spaces, including street furniture, water features and road materials. The statement should show how the design of outside spaces will make them attractive, useful and environmentally responsible.

Landscape details are an important part of design, and the statement should explain how its treatment will work with all other design decisions. For example, school playgrounds can be designed to extend teaching space and support active learning. If they are to be successful, their design needs to work well with the design of indoor spaces and the links between the two.

The statement should show that the planned landscape design is based on a strategy for long-term maintenance and management.

The statement should clearly explain the purpose of landscape design on the site, and how this will be achieved and maintained, for example, to create a natural habitat, support an existing green corridor or provide a sensory garden or play space.

The statement should show how the needs of disabled or older people will be met, for example by using level surfaces, non slip materials and providing resting places. Appearance:

The statement should set out the design rationale that underpins the proposal and how this has informed the detailed aspects of the scheme.

The statement should explain how the appearance fits with other aims for the development. So, if the development is meant to create a new landmark, its appearance, scale and use should reflect this. If the development is designed to blend seamlessly with its surroundings, its design should take this into account.

Pictures of what the scheme would look like can be useful, but these should be based on details either included in the application or set out in the statement. Pictures of detailing and materials that are unlikely to be used are misleading and can cause problems later on. So, if materials have not been finalised when the application is made, the statement might suggest a range of materials for the site to give a sense of the final appearance.

The statement should also acknowledge that appearance changes throughout the day and across the seasons as light levels, weather conditions and vegetation change. It may not be possible to include lots of representational pictures, but the statement should explain how the person applying has considered the effects of time on the appearance of the scheme.

How access will be achieved

The statement should explain how surrounding roads, footpaths and sight lines will be linked. Lighting, views, signs and desire lines can help, but the layout needs to be right to provide practical access as well.

Diagrams showing how people can move to and through the place will be very useful. For some schemes, it may be good to show this for vehicles, bikes and pedestrians, showing how the priorities for different users have been worked through.

The inside of a building is not normally shown on a planning application but, unless the layout inside a building is considered, it will be very difficult to decide where entrances and fire exits should go. So, it may be useful for the statement to explain how internal access will be designed, provided and used as this can have an effect on how the place will eventually look and work.

This part of the statement should cover the visibility of entrances and access to the buildings through entrance areas or front doors, as well as access to facilities such as toilets or conference rooms and shops or sports centres. It should also explain how levels change within public spaces, including pavements and dropped kerbs, bus stops, parking spaces including blue badge holders at train stations, and parks. It should show how using symbols and pictures can help people navigate.

The statement should show that disabled people will not be segregated but will be able to move up and down in a building and use the same entrances, corridors and rooms as everyone else without detours.

The statement should also explain how access for the emergency services will be provided. This may include areas for congregation in the event of an emergency which should include provision for disabled refuge points.

Further information on Design & Access Statements can be found at http://www.cabe.org.uk/