P3: Anticipating the Outcomes

It is necessary to understand early on what is the anticipated outcome of the project, in the knowledge that alternative outcomes are likely to drive different levels of activity and detailed analysis. Of key importance here is defining if the project will lead directly to the submission of a planning application, or is intended to establish some form of interim policy position which may then need to be taken further forward into a formal planning application at a later stage.

A plan led system is in operation across England and as such in many cases a policy position may already be established and justified for the project site in question. Alternatively, a policy basis may need to come forward, or a project may need to evolve directly to planning in the absence of any site specific guiding policy.

Projects will need to progress with an overall objective of achieving built development and as such will require a robust evidence base and level of analysis to support full progress through the planning system over time. Where possible, it will be important to consider appropriate approaches to evaluation and analysis that will not result in information gaps later in the overall process. This would minimise the risk of leaving a project potentially exposed to challenge and future change thus hindering the efficient delivery of outcomes in the longer term.

Irrespective of the anticipated outcome, this Guide presents a set of common stages, topic areas and evaluation themes, but the scope and scale of work required is likely to differ subject to the anticipated outcome.