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Local Validation Requirements Consultation

As part of the Government's drive to provide a more predictable and efficient planning service, the Government intends to bring in new regulations from April 2008 that will change the information needed to be submitted with a planning application. From then on the Council will validate applications on the basis of nationally set and locally drawn up lists. The national lists are set by the Government and apply in all cases, but the local lists can be tailored to meet the needs of individual Council areas, for example a Flood Risk Assessment can be required to accompany an application. Together the lists will afford applicants more certainty over the type of information required at the outset, and local residents a better understanding of the impact of a development.

From the 6th April 2008, as part of the Government's drive to provide a quicker, more predictable and efficient planning service, new regulations will be in place to require all planning authorities to have published lists of the information needed to validate planning applications, and to offer a standardised planning application form (known as 1APP). The Council switched to using 1APP on the 3rd December 2007 to give applicants time to get used to using the new application forms.

The Council has begun consulting its stakeholders on a checklist of draft 'Local Validation Requirements' for each of the different types of planning application that the Council receives. This is to ensure that the information requested does not require a level of detail that is unreasonable, or disproportionate, to the type and scale of the application being made. The consultation lists are available to download below.

The Government encourage Councils to consult on and adopt local lists from an identified range of requirements available to view at www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/validationapplications. The Council has compiled draft Local Validation Requirements checklists for some of the 27 different types of planning and related applications that are currently available in 1APP. These checklists will not be finalised until we have considered the responses to the consultation exercise and the Government has produced details of the regulations that will formally introduce the national planning application form. Consultation on the checklists has been undertaken with statutory consultees such as the Environment Agency, Parish Council's, relevant voluntary and amenity groups, agents and stakeholders.

If you would like comment, including on any omissions from the checklists, then these should be submitted to the Council by the 25 th March 2008. These will be taken into account before the list is finalised and published to ensure that the information needed to accompany an application does not require a level of detail that is unreasonable or disproportionate to the type and scale of the application being made. Alternately if you wish to discuss any of the checklists please contact the Fast Track Group Manager, Mr Paul Butt on 01628-685698.

Once adopted by the Council the local lists will be published on the Council's website. They will also be made available through the Planning Portal at http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/ where planning applications can be made to the Council online. The Council encourage applications to be made online, which is a simple process, and an increasing number of applicants are choosing to make their applications in this way. Paper copies of the local lists will also be made available on request from the Council's Customer Service Centres."