A planning statement is the document in an application that argues the case: what is proposed, which policies of the development plan it is read against, and why, on the material planning considerations, permission should be granted. A heritage statement example an applicant looks for is the same document written for a listed building or a conservation area, describing the significance of the heritage asset and the effect of the proposal on it, which the law requires before the authority can decide. Beside them sit the routes that need no statement at all, the non material amendment to a permission already granted, and the ones that need a particular argument, temporary planning permission for a use that will end and new build planning permission for a dwelling on a site the plan may not allocate. This page sets out what each paper does, what the statements argue, and what the file keeps.
What a planning statement argues, and to what
The statement describes the site, its planning history and the proposal, identifies the policies of the local plan and the national policy it is read against, and argues the material planning considerations: the principle of the use, the design and its effect on the area, the amenity of neighbours, highways and parking, flood risk, ecology, heritage, and whatever the site raises. It is written for the officer, who has to write a report against the same policies, and the best statements are the ones the officer can lift from. The guidance cited below sets out what an application has to contain; the statement is where the applicant's case is made.
The heritage statement, and what a good example does
Where a listed building, its setting or a conservation area is affected, the application has to describe the significance of the heritage asset and the effect of the proposal on it, in proportion to the asset's importance and the scale of the proposal. A good heritage statement example describes the asset from the record and the site, says what matters about it and why, sets out the proposal's effect on that significance, and argues the balance the law requires between harm and public benefit. It is not an inventory of the building, and a statement that describes everything and assesses nothing fails the test; the statement is commissioned from a heritage consultant on larger cases and written by the agent on smaller ones.
The routes beside the statement: amendments, temporary permission, new build
A non material amendment changes an existing permission in a way too small to affect its substance, is applied for on a simple form with a small fee, and keeps the permission's reference; anything larger is a section 73 or a fresh application. Temporary planning permission is a permission limited by condition to a period, used for uses that will end or whose effect is uncertain, and it has to be argued for as such. New build planning permission for a dwelling on a site the plan does not allocate is the hardest case for a statement, because the principle is the argument. Consentvia Pro keeps each statement, amendment and permission against the application it belongs to; the cost sheet on this site costs the professional work each takes.
Questions people ask about planning statement
Does every planning application need a planning statement?
Not by law for a householder application, and in practice for anything larger, because the officer has to write a report against the policies and the statement is where the applicant's case is made in those terms. The local validation checklist says when it is required.
What is a material planning consideration?
A matter the authority may lawfully take into account in deciding an application: the development plan's policies, national policy, design, amenity, highways, heritage, flood risk, ecology and the like. Private matters such as the loss of a view, the effect on property values or a covenant are not. The statement is written to the material considerations.
What is a non-material amendment?
A change to a permission already granted that is too small to affect its substance, applied for on a short form with a small fee and made to the same permission. If the change touches a condition or is more than trivial, it is a section 73 or a fresh application; the section 73 guide on this site draws the line.
Sources
- GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application: the forms, plans and supporting documents, including the planning and heritage statements
- GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Flexible options for planning permission: section 73 variations, outline and reserved matters, non-material amendments
- GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Determining a planning application: statutory periods, extensions of time, non-determination