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Local Validation Checklist


Planning advice note for applicants and agents

Information required when submitting a planning application

  • Application form
    • You must submit a completed application form.
    • Note: you must sign and date the ownership certificates and declaration.
  • Fee
    • The correct fee must be submitted with the application. See the Planning Portal or our website for further information.
  • Plans, drawings and supporting information
    • The table below lists the types of plans, drawings and supporting information that might be required. You must provide enough information to describe your proposal.
    • All plans and drawings must have a scale bar, key dimensions, the direction of North, original paper size and scale (e.g. 1:200 at A3) clearly marked on them.
    • While not compulsory, submitting plans and drawings on A3 will help the Local Planning Authority process your application more efficiently. For example, consider placing fewer elevations on smaller pages sizes, even if this means submitting more documents. We would also recommend only using colour where necessary as this can greatly increase file sizes.

Electronic supporting documents limitations

When making electronic submission of supporting documents individual files should not be larger than 5MB.

Only the following file types can be submitted electronically for applications:

  • images/plans: pdf, bmp, gif, jpg/jpeg, png, tif/tiff
  • documents: pdf, rtf, txt, xls, plt

Note: the current ‘docx’, ‘docm’, ‘xlsx’ and ‘xlsm’ Microsoft Office formats are not accepted, therefore please upload your documents in the legacy ‘doc’ and ‘xls’ formats or covert to a PDF.

General guidance

The lists below provides general guidance. We encourage applicants to seek pre-application advice to ascertain the exact level of information required for your proposed development. Please note that failure to submit the relevant surveys/information required specific to your application may result in the application not being registered.

Plans and drawings

  • Location Plan (scale 1:2500 or 1:1250) with site outlined in red and north point
  • Block Plan (scale 1:500) or Site Plan (scale 1:200) – if the proposal will alter an existing building footprint or create a new building footprint
  • Site Levels (scale 1:200) – if the proposal will lead to a change in the level of the land or the proposed development is on land of differing levels
  • Floor Plans – Existing and Proposed (scale 1:50 or 1:100) – if the proposal will create, alter or add to a floor
  • Elevation Drawings – Existing and Proposed (scale 1:50 or 1:100) – if the proposal will create, alter or add to a building
  • Design and Access Statement for; any Major application, OR; any application for one or more dwelling houses or for the provision of 100 sq m or more of floor space in a conservation area

Local list of validation requirements

You will also need to provide the following additional information as appropriate from the local list of validation requirements.

  • Heritage Statement including photographs and a schedule of works, if the proposal will affect a conservation area, a listed building or a scheduled ancient monument
  • Flood Risk Assessment if the site is in the Environment Agency’s Flood Zones 2 or 3 or is identified as being at flood risk in surface water mapping, or if the site area is over 1 hectare
  • Ecology and Protected Species Survey if the development is likely to affect statutorily protected species, or is in a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or in a Special Protection Area (SPA)
  • Tree Survey if there is a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on or affecting the site

Additional information

Please also see below for additional information that may be necessary to enable the council to determine your application efficiently. If such information is not submitted the council may decide to refuse the application due to a lack of supporting information.

For further information please see the local list guidance notes.

InformationThreshold
Air Quality Assessment Proposals that are likely to generate high levels of air pollution, such as significant industrial developments, for example large factories producing high levels of pollutants such as Nitrogen Dioxide, OR; Significant proposals that are located in any Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) or would result in a significant increase in traffic passing through any AQMA.
Contaminated Land Investigation When previous uses on or adjoining the site could have given rise to contamination such as landfill sites, former industrial and commercial processes, petrol filling stations, institutional uses, storage of chemicals (including on farms), OR; When an initial desktop and walkover study suggests that contaminants may be present.
Noise Impact Assessment Proposals that generate high levels of noise such as noisy sports; industrial developments using noisy machinery, such as joinery workshops; refrigeration plant and equipment, OR; New housing adjacent to major sources of noise, including roads, railways and industrial sources.
Draft Planning Obligation/Section 106 Agreement Where a Planning Obligation is reasonably likely to be required. The need for a planning obligation will depend upon the type of development proposed. Typically an agreement will be required for the provision of community and highway infrastructure. This may include items such as affordable housing provision, education, library, youth and community and off site highway improvements, in accordance with Local Plan Policies. If you are not seeking to make a planning obligation in accordance with local Plan policy, a fully detailed and appropriately formatted viability assessment should be submitted in accordance with the current version of the Kent Viability Protocol.
Renewable Energy Assessment Buildings (new build or conversions) with a floor space of 2,500 sq.m or more gross floor space. Residential developments providing 25 or more residential units.
Retail and Town Centre Uses Impact Assessment All new retail, leisure and office proposals, including extensions, outside a town centre of 2,500 sq m or more gross floor space. The scope of the Assessment should include:
The impact on existing, committed and planned public and private investment in a centre or centres in the catchment area of the proposal; and
The impact on town centre vitality and viability, including local consumer choice and trade in the town centre and wider area, up to five years from the time the application is made. For major schemes where the full impact will not be realised in five years, the impact should also be assessed up to ten years from the time the application is made.
Structural Survey or Statement Where it is important to know whether or not the building(s) are capable of conversion rather than reconstruction for example barn conversions OR; Any application relating to a listed building where works are proposed that involve demolition or affect the structural integrity of the building.
Transport Assessment Residential developments of 40 dwellings or more and other developments including non-residential proposals of 2,500 square metres or more gross floorspace.
Tree Survey and Arboricultural Implications Assessment When proposals could have an impact on significant trees on or adjoining the site, whether or not the trees are protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) or conservation area status.
Ventilation and Extraction details All applications for hot-food take-aways, bars/pubs, restaurant uses and launderettes etc should include this information, and it will also be required for significant retail, business, industrial or leisure or other similar developments where substantial ventilation or extraction equipment is proposed to be installed.