P7.1: Agreeing the Scope of Application Material

In advance of submission of a formal planning application, it will be important for the applicant and Local Planning Authority to discuss and agree the information that should be submitted as part of a planning application. The scope of this will come from the previous stages of this Guide, namely the appraisal of the evidence base (Stage 5) and option testing (Stage 6) stages both of which will have highlighted the key issues and areas where material will be necessary to confirm and justify the final proposals.

The objective should be to agree the required documents and their content early on as part of proactive pre–application discussions between the Local Authority (and other stakeholders and Applicant (or landowner / scheme promoter). This will assist to save time and limit the need to require additional information in order to be able to make a determination. Pre-application, the two parties should discuss and agree the scope and content of:

• The formal application itself, in terms of what is specifically being applied for (including the relevant forms and notices together with parameter plans a schedule of development and a formal statement of design principles); and
• Necessary additional information such as a:
• Planning Statement;
• Environmental Statement;
• Transport Assessment;
• Design & Access Statement;
• Section 106 Heads of Terms (and related Infrastructure Statement) ; and
• Any other necessary documents relevant to the specific project.

Agreeing the scope of necessary information in advance of submission would enable the Local Planning Authority to process the application efficiently, limiting the potential need to request, assess and consult on additional information.