8 May 2008

There are now important new procedures in place imposed by central government for registering ("validating") all planning applications in England.

On 6 April 2008 the Government introduced a standard national planning application form known as 1APP. It is accompanied by changes to the procedures involved in the validation (i.e. registration as we have known it in the past) of all applications. There are national statutory requirements for validating applications as well as a list of additional requirements which local planning authorities are encouraged to adapt to suit their individual circumstances and formally to adopt as part of the process of validating applications.

The requirements adopted by a LPA are known as the ‘Local List’ and are used in conjunction with the national statutory requirements (the ‘National List’) to determine whether a submitted application is valid. If it is not validated, the application can go no further and it has been made clear that unvalidated applications cannot be challenged by appeal for non-determination. The Local List detail is left to the individual LPA so variations are inevitable. However, a "biodiversity survey and report" is on the government's recommendations for the Local List.

LPAs have been busy issuing their Local Lists, commonly in the form of "validation checklists" and they can be found on their respective web sites. They are usually supported by, or written in concert with, Publicly Available Specification 2010 (Planning to Halt the Loss of Biodiversity - obtainable from the British Standards Institution). The Association of Local Government Ecologists (ALGE - www.alge.org.uk) have been active in advising LPAs about the biodiversity requirements.

If in doubt, shout!
Our message to planning applicants: call us for help and advice early. Without expert advice it is not always easy to decide what surveys are needed or their scope, and there are many time constraints on the season in which they can be done. We can help you through the maze and, as surveys are expensive, we will will guide you along the most efficient and cost-effective pathway for your site and project, and support you with our comprehensive range of bespoke biodiversity services through the development and the aftercare & maintenance.