OpenLegislation

Article 7 Design and access statementsI1

England and Wales

F1(1)

Subject to paragraph (3), a design and access statement must accompany a relevant application in respect of—

(a)

major development; or

(b)

non-major development any part of which is in a designated area and which consists of—

(i)

the provision of one or more dwellinghouses; or

(ii)

the provision of a building or buildings where the floor space created by the development is 100 square metres or more.

(2)

A design and access statement must—

(a)

explain the design principles and concepts that have been applied to the development;

(b)

demonstrate the steps taken to appraise the context of the development and how the design of the development takes that context into account;

(c)

explain the policy adopted as to access, and how policies relating to access in relevant local development documents F2, documents which are to be or form part of minerals and waste plans, local plans or supplementary plans prepared by local planning authorities, minerals and waste planning authorities or the Mayor of London have been taken into account;

(d)

state what, if any, consultation has been undertaken on issues relating to access to the development and what account has been taken of the outcome of any such consultation; and

(e)

explain how any specific issues which might affect access to the development have been addressed.

(3)

This article does not apply to a relevant application for planning permission which is for—

(a)

engineering or mining operations;

(b)

a material change in use of the land or buildings;

(c)

development which is waste development.

F3(4)

In this article—

  • “design and access statement” means a statement about—

    1. (a)

      the design principles and concepts that have been applied to the development concerned; and

    2. (b)

      how issues relating to access to the development have been dealt with; and

  • “designated area” means—

    1. (a)

      a conservation area; or

    2. (b)

      a World Heritage Site, that being a property appearing on the World Heritage List kept under article 11(2) of the 1972 UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and National Heritage.

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1

Art. 7(1) substituted (21.10.2016) by The Town and Country Planning (Section 62A Applications) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/944), regs. 1(1), 2(3)

F2

Words in art. 7(2)(c) inserted (25.3.2026) by The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (Local Planning) (Modification and Consequential Amendments) (England) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/170), regs. 1(2), 13(3)

F3

Art. 7(4) inserted (21.10.2016) by The Town and Country Planning (Section 62A Applications) (Amendment) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/944), regs. 1(1), 2(4)

Commencement

I1

Art. 7 in force at 1.10.2013, see art. 1(1)