Knowledge Base
Planning, regulations and construction, explained.
Topic 16
Specialist reports and consultants
Understand specialist reports, when they may be requested and which consultants prepare them.
34 articles
Statements
01Design & Access Statement: when you need oneA Design & Access Statement explains how a proposal responds to its surroundings and how people will access it. It is required for specified planning applications and for listed building consent, but not automatically for every extension or alteration.02Planning statementA planning statement explains why the proposed development should be acceptable under the policies that apply to the site. It connects the drawings and specialist evidence to the planning decision, rather than replacing those documents.03Heritage statementA heritage statement explains what is significant about a historic building or place, how the proposed work would affect that significance, and how harm has been avoided or reduced. It may be needed for work affecting a listed building, conservation area or another heritage asset, including its setting.
Fire
04Planning fire safety under London Plan D12: householder and major applicationsLondon Plan policy D12 makes fire safety a consideration for all development, so a householder application may need proportionate planning fire-safety information. It does not mean every home alteration requires the independent Fire Statement specified for major development; councils may accept an exception statement for suitable minor works.05Fire Statement for major developmentsFor major development in London, policy D12(B) requires a Fire Statement prepared by an independent, suitably qualified assessor. It explains how fire-safety principles have shaped the proposal and is separate from the national planning gateway one requirement.06Gateway One fire statements: buildings at least 18 metres or seven storeysThe national planning gateway one fire statement is required for specified applications involving a relevant building: one containing at least two dwellings or educational accommodation and reaching at least 18 metres or at least seven storeys. Either height or storeys can trigger the height condition.
Nature and trees
07Biodiversity Net Gain: when it applies, the exemptions and the August 2026 changesBiodiversity Net Gain normally requires applicable development to deliver at least a 10% increase in biodiversity value. From 6 August 2026, new applications for sites of 0.2 hectares or less are exempt unless they affect onsite priority habitat, and the separate self-build/custom-build exemption has been removed for new applications.08BNG metric, habitat plan and buying off-site unitsWhere BNG applies, the statutory metric calculates the biodiversity baseline and proposed gains, while the biodiversity gain plan explains how the obligation will be met. A habitat management and monitoring plan addresses delivery over time; buying off-site units is a separate transaction that must be correctly registered and allocated.09Preliminary ecological appraisal and bat surveysA preliminary ecological appraisal identifies the ecological issues a proposal may affect and whether more detailed surveys are needed. Bat surveys are a separate, targeted part of that process where buildings, trees or other features could support bats.10Tree survey, arboricultural impact assessment and tree protection planA tree survey records the trees that could be affected, an arboricultural impact assessment explains the effects of the design, and a tree protection plan shows how retained trees will be protected. Councils can need this information for trees on neighbouring land as well as within the application site.11Urban Greening FactorThe Urban Greening Factor is a way of assessing the amount and quality of greening in a development, supported by a plan and calculation. In London it is associated with policy G5; the exact submission requirement and target must be checked against the relevant borough policy and current guidance.
Water and ground
12Flood Risk AssessmentA Flood Risk Assessment explains the flooding that could affect a development, how people and buildings will remain safe, and whether the proposal would increase risk elsewhere. It is required in the circumstances set out by current national policy, including some sites in Flood Zone 1.13Drainage strategy and sustainable drainage (SuDS)A drainage strategy explains how rainwater will be managed, where it will go and how the drainage will be maintained without creating unacceptable flood or pollution risks. Sustainable drainage systems, or SuDS, should be considered as part of the site design rather than added after the building layout is fixed.14Basement Impact AssessmentA Basement Impact Assessment examines whether a proposed basement could harm neighbouring structures, groundwater conditions or drainage and flood behaviour. It is a planning assessment of the project's wider effects, not simply the structural calculations for the basement walls.15Ground investigation and contaminated land reportsA ground investigation establishes the conditions relevant to the proposed construction, while a contaminated land assessment examines potential risks from pollutants in the ground. They can share investigation work, but they answer different questions and should be scoped together rather than treated as interchangeable reports.
Effects on neighbours and the environment
16Daylight and sunlight reportA daylight and sunlight report assesses natural light within a proposed development and the effect of that development on neighbouring buildings and spaces. It is needed where those effects are material to the planning decision, rather than automatically for every extension.17Noise reportA noise report assesses whether a proposal will create unacceptable noise or vibration, or expose its occupants to existing noise. Councils request it where the location, activity or equipment makes those effects relevant to the planning decision.18Air quality assessmentAn air quality assessment examines the pollution a development could cause and the exposure of people using it. It may be needed because of traffic, plant, construction activity or the existing air quality at the site, even where the development itself produces little pollution.19Odour and kitchen extraction reportAn odour and kitchen extraction report explains how cooking fumes will be captured and discharged without unacceptable effects on neighbours. It usually needs to address noise and the physical appearance of the extraction system as well as odour, so equipment selection cannot be separated from the planning design.20External lighting assessmentAn external lighting assessment explains how proposed lighting will perform and whether it could harm neighbours, road users, wildlife or the character of the area. It is needed where those effects are material, rather than simply because a project includes any outdoor light.
Energy and sustainability
21Energy statementAn energy statement explains how a development will reduce energy demand and carbon emissions and meet the planning policies applying to the site. It brings the proposed building fabric, heating, renewable energy and supporting calculations together; it is not simply an equipment list.22Sustainability statement and checklistA sustainability statement explains how a proposal addresses the environmental requirements relevant to the site, while a checklist records where those matters have been covered. The required scope is set by the application and local policies; a ticked form should not replace the evidence needed to support its answers.23Overheating assessmentAn overheating assessment tests whether the proposed design can provide acceptable summer conditions and identifies any measures needed to control heat. It can be required by planning policy as well as building regulations, but those routes do not always cover the same work or use the same assessment brief.24BREEAMBREEAM is a third-party assessment and certification system for the environmental performance of buildings. A planning authority may require a particular assessment or outcome for qualifying development, but that local requirement should not be mistaken for a universal requirement on every building project in England.25Whole life-cycle carbon and circular economy statementsA whole life-cycle carbon assessment measures carbon associated with a building across its life, while a circular economy statement explains how materials and buildings will be retained, reused and managed to avoid waste. They are related assessments, but one does not replace the other.
Transport and construction
26Transport statement and parking surveysA transport statement explains how people and vehicles will reach and use a development and whether its effects are acceptable. Parking surveys provide evidence about existing parking conditions where that information is relevant; they are not automatically required for every planning application.27Construction management and logistics plansA construction management plan explains how building work will be organised to control its effects on neighbours and the surrounding area. Its logistics element addresses construction traffic, deliveries and site access; it is different from the contractor’s health-and-safety construction phase plan.28Refuse and cycle storage plansRefuse and cycle storage plans show that the proposed development has usable space for waste, recycling and bicycles, with practical access for residents and collection or maintenance. Councils need more than a label on a plan: the storage arrangements must fit the development and the applicable local requirements.
Housing and viability
29Accommodation schedule and space standards complianceAn accommodation schedule lists the proposed homes and their key characteristics so the council can check the mix and applicable space standards. It should identify the occupancy and measured areas of each home and be consistent with the floor plans, rather than merely state the total number of units.30Affordable housing statement and viability assessmentAn affordable housing statement explains what affordable provision a development offers and how it meets the relevant planning requirements. A viability assessment is different: it supplies financial evidence where there is a justified case that the development cannot meet the applicable policy requirements.31Marketing evidence for losing a commercial useMarketing evidence shows whether a property or site has been genuinely offered for the use that planning policy seeks to protect, and what demand that exercise revealed. Councils may require it before accepting the loss of commercial, employment or other protected space; vacancy alone is not the same evidence as a properly documented marketing exercise.32Health Impact AssessmentA Health Impact Assessment examines how a development could affect the health and wellbeing of the people who use it and the surrounding community. It identifies positive and negative effects and measures to address them; it is not limited to checking the distance to a GP surgery or hospital.
Consultants and surveys
33Which consultants might my project need, and what does each one do?The consultants a project needs depend on its design, site constraints and approval requirements, not on a fixed package that every homeowner must buy. Start with the decisions and evidence needed, then appoint appropriately competent people to answer those questions and coordinate their work.34Surveys before design starts: measured, topographical, CCTV drainage, asbestosSurveys before design should establish the information the project actually needs: building geometry, site levels, drainage conditions and any asbestos risks relevant to the planned work. These are different investigations, so a measured survey should not be assumed to include drainage inspection or an asbestos assessment.