A Design and Access Statement for your London application, £219
Some applications cannot be registered without one. It is a short document in which the design explains itself: what you drew, why you drew it that way and how people get in. We write it for £219.
- £219 fixed, no survey fee
- Written to the council’s test
- Free redraws until approval
What does a Design and Access Statement cost?
Our fee is £219 for a standalone statement, with no survey fee and no VAT to add. If we draw your planning set too, the statement is written from the same survey and model, so the two never disagree. It is a few pages, not a thesis.
What the £219 covers
- A check of whether your application actually needs a statement, and the council’s own wording
- The design principles and concepts, written from your drawings and the site
- The appraisal of the site and its context: neighbours, street, land and surroundings
- The access section: how people reach and use the building, and any consultation that shaped it
- A reply to the planning officer if questions arise, with free changes until approval
Do I need a Design and Access Statement?
Only for certain applications, and it is easy to get wrong in either direction. The national rule asks for one for major development, for listed building consent, and for dwellings or buildings of 100 m² or more in a conservation area or World Heritage Site (gov.uk). Material changes of use and applications to vary conditions do not need one.
A council can also list it on its own validation list. The government’s guidance says local requirements count only when they are on a formally adopted, published list, which should be less than two years old. We check the list before we write a word.
What goes in it
For planning permission: the design principles and concepts, the steps taken to understand the site and its context, how the design responds, how access is dealt with, and which local policies were considered. If there was consultation on access, say what it was and what changed as a result (gov.uk).
For a listed building the emphasis shifts. The statement explains how the design accounts for the building’s special architectural or historic importance and its setting, which is the same ground the council covers under section 66. We then write the heritage statement with it, because the two overlap.
- The design idea, in plain language
- What is around the site and how the design answers it
- Entrances, steps, levels and routes
- The policies tested, and the result
Short, specific and honest
Good statements are the shortest that answer the council’s question. A statement for a small rear extension runs to a few pages, with a photograph of the street and a sentence on materials. A statement for a new house needs more. We write to the size of the job, and match it to the planning drawings so that every figure agrees.
When one is required, and what it holds
- Major
- A Design and Access Statement is required for major development as defined in the Development Management Procedure Order. gov.uk, Making an application
- 100 m²
- In a conservation area or World Heritage Site it is required where the proposal is one or more dwellings, or a building of 100 m² or more. gov.uk, Making an application
- Listed
- It is also required for listed building consent applications. gov.uk, Making an application
- Not for conditions
- Applications to vary conditions, and material changes of use, do not need one. gov.uk, Making an application
- 5 elements
- For planning permission it explains the design principles, the context appraisal, the access approach, the policies considered and any access consultation. gov.uk, Making an application
- One document
- Where planning permission and listed building consent are sought together, one combined statement can cover both. gov.uk, Making an application
- Section 66
- The council must have special regard to preserving a listed building or its setting when it decides. Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, s.66(1)
Design and Access Statement questions
Does a householder application need a Design and Access Statement?
Not under the national rule unless the house is in a conservation area or World Heritage Site and the proposal is a dwelling or a building of 100 m² or more, or your council’s published list asks for one. We check.
Source: gov.uk, Making an application
Do I need one for listed building consent?
Yes. It is required with every listed building consent application.
Source: gov.uk, Making an application
Can one statement cover planning and listed building consent?
Yes. Where both are sought together, one combined statement can cover both.
Source: gov.uk, Making an application
Can the council demand one if it is not required?
Only if it is on a formally adopted local list published less than two years before the application.
Source: gov.uk, Making an application
Is the statement included in the planning drawings fee?
No. It is a separate fixed fee of £219.
Other services people book with this one
Not sure if your council wants one?
Send the address and the project. We check the council’s list and tell you before you pay for anything.