How might it be used?

The checklist will be used by a wide variety of users and they may all use the service at different stages of the development process. From outline scheme proposal to full planning applications the list below gives some examples by different types of users.

Developers:

  1. Assess which questions you believe are “not applicable” early in the design process, and agree them with the planning authority before working up the design if at all possible – re-working is expensive if they do not agree.
  2. Make sure the design team are familiar with the checklist questions at the start of the design process so that the issues can be considered as an integral part of the design process, rather than trying to add “bolt ons” at a later stage.
  3. Answer questions in the Checklist as the design is worked up. Use the reports from the Checklist to see whether the design meets your (and your client’s) requirements, and reassess after changes. Be aware of weaknesses which may be questioned in the Planning process.

Local Authority Policy Planners:

  1. The Checklist sets out a range of sustainable development issues pertinent to the region. Where national or regional minimum targets do not exist, local authorities are encouraged to set minimum targets.
  2. Policy Planners may wish to specify that “good” or “best” practice performance levels must be achieved on specific questions for key sites. This can be incorporated into site briefs or SPDs.
  3. The range of issues in the checklist may prove useful in preparing the SA/SEA framework, particularly Tasks A1 and A3 as set out in the DCLG guidance document.
  4. Responses to particular questions can be amalgamated from all completed Checklists to provide trend on progress towards sustainability objectives. These may be useful in Annual Monitoring Reports, and also in informing future iterations of the LDP and SA/SEA.
  5. Local Authorities may wish to adopt the SE Checklist for Developments as an SPD, or alternatively may wish to tailor it locally and adopt the tailored version as SPD to ensure that it is submitted with all planning applications above a designated size threshold.

Local Authority Development Control Planners:

  1. The Checklist acts as an “aide memoire”, picking out the key sustainability issues in regional planning policy that need to be considered in planning applications.
  2. The summary report from the Checklist provide a graphic overview report as to how the proposed development performs against the sustainability issues drawn from the SE Plan. The profile of performance against 8 different section headings can be used as a “Rule of Thumb” as to whether the development is addressing sustainability issues pertinent to a particular type of site. For example, a site close to an environmentally sensitive area would be expected to perform well on ecology issues.
  3. It is NOT expected that the planner will interrogate the answer to all questions. However, having all the information in one place (or references to appropriate sources of information in the rest of the planning application materials) makes it easy to examine specific issues.
  4. Planners can consult the full list of questions to highlight those of either local or site specific importance. This will signpost those questions and responses that the Development Control planner may wish to interrogate in detail to assess the suitability of the response.
  5. Where scores for particular sections are unexpectedly high or low, the planner can look at the relevant questions to see whether this is acceptable for the development and site in question.
  6. If the application or site are particularly significant, the Planner can either conduct a random check of answers to questions to satisfy themselves that the scoring has been carried out appropriately, or can ask for independent verification from a third party.

Local Authority Planning Committee Members:

  1. The summary graphic report from the Checklist gives an overview as to how the development performs on regional sustainability issues. The Committee may wish to have more detailed feedback on particular issues, and can choose to interrogate the responses to questions of interest.
  2. When discussing planning applications with other interested stakeholders, the Checklist provides a common framework for those discussions. It is anticipated that ward Councillors may wish to interrogate responses to specific questions that are of concern to either objectors or supporters of development proposals.

Outline vs Full planning applications

Since different planning authorities make different requirements of outline planning applications, we are not able to predict exactly which questions will apply at the outline stage. We therefore recommend that if an outline application is to be submitted, developers and planners agree which questions will be addressed in reserved matters.

The Developer should click the “not applicable” option for these questions when the checklist is completed for the outline application, and note in the justification box that the question will be addressed in the reserved matters. If a second checklist is completed for the reserved matters, previously answered questions should be marked as “not applicable” with the justification box stating that they have been previously answered in the outline application.