Whether it is needed, which scheme applies and what rating must be achieved depend on the borough and proposal. A local requirement must not be presented as a single England-wide threshold. [1][2][3]
What BREEAM adds
BRE describes a process involving a licensed assessor, registration, evidence-based assessment, quality assurance and certification. The assessor works against the relevant scheme rather than awarding a certificate simply because the building has efficient equipment. [1]
This is separate from building regulations approval and an Energy Performance Certificate. A project needing all three must address each process; obtaining an EPC or building control completion document is not the BREEAM certification process. [1][4][5]
Check the council's actual trigger
Read the current local validation list and relevant policy, then check the wording of any planning condition. Distinguish the requirement to provide a sustainability statement from a requirement to obtain a particular BREEAM rating. They are not interchangeable documents. [2][3]
For example, Camden's 2025 Local Area Requirements state that non-domestic development providing 500 m² or more of additional floorspace must provide a BREEAM pre-assessment showing how an Excellent rating will be achieved. The word “additional” matters: this published trigger should not be rewritten as a universal requirement for every refurbishment of an existing 500 m² unit. [2]
That example is specific to Camden. It does not establish the position in another borough or Epping Forest District. Establish the local requirement for the actual site rather than importing a neighbouring council's threshold into the brief. [2]
Choose the assessment route before specifying the work
BRE's current Refurbishment and Fit-Out V7 framework distinguishes refurbishment work from fit-out work. The refurbishment route concerns matters such as the existing fabric, structure and core systems; the fit-out route focuses on interior and tenant work without significant alteration of those core elements. The appropriate route depends on the scope. [6]
Ask the licensed assessor to confirm the scheme and version that will apply. A new-build assessment and an interior fit-out assessment are not simply different labels for an identical exercise. [1][6]
Pre-assessment is not the finished certificate
A planning pre-assessment identifies how the target is intended to be achieved. Final certification depends on assessment and evidence through the applicable BREEAM process. A design-stage promise should therefore not be recorded as a completed certified outcome. [2][1]
As a practical project-control measure, record who will supply the evidence for each agreed commitment and review proposed substitutions with the assessor. This follows from the evidence-based assessment process; it is not an additional national planning procedure. [1]
Check when the planning condition requires documents or certification to be submitted. The decision notice determines the relevant planning obligation, and the assessment programme needs to allow the project to comply with it. [3]
Policy changes to monitor
The draft replacement London Plan remained under consultation on 2 October 2026, with consultation ending on 15 October 2026. Emerging sustainability policies should be identified as proposals, not silently substituted for the adopted requirements applying to the application. [7]