Approval of Reserved Matters

When is it required?

Always required. A completed form is always required (one copy of all application documents must be supplied if submitted by post).

What is required?

Please ensure that you have completed every section of the application form before submitting it. Where sections or questions are not relevant please say so on the form.

Source, policies and references

National validation requirement

When is it required?

This is always required, unless covered by an exemption.

Common exemptions:

• For alterations, extensions etc. to a dwelling house for the benefit of a registered disabled person (please provide evidence from the DWP that the applicant is registered as being disabled)
• The first revision of an application for development of the same character or description on the same site by the same applicant within 12 months of making the earlier application if withdrawn or the date of decision if granted or refused and NOT a duplicate application made by the same applicant within 28 days.

What is required?

Current national fees can be found on the Planning Portal. Guidance: GOV.UK: Fees for planning applications

To support you please use the Planning Portal fee calculator.

Source, policies and references

National validation requirement

Use an up-to-date Ordnance Survey-based location plan at an appropriate scale, usually 1:1250 or 1:2500. In the case of large sites other scales may be appropriate.

The plan must show:

• At least two named roads and all surrounding buildings or land (unless this would require a plan greater than a scale of 1:2500)
• The application site (the whole planning unit)
• A north compass point
• The scale clearly identified

The plan used should:

• Show OS Crown copyright  
• Not to be copied from existing OS mapping, if using hand drawn maps such as standard streets
• Show the correct licence number if you wish to print or copy maps for applications Ordnance Survey Licensing

The site boundary must be edged clearly with a red line. It should include all land necessary to carry out the proposed development - for example, land needed for access to the site from a public highway, visibility displays, landscape, car parking and open areas around the building. A blue line should be drawn around any other land owned by the applicant, close to or adjoining the application site.

When is it required?

Always required

What is Required

Please provide plans and drawings necessary to show the proposed non-material amendment. All drawings must be to an appropriate scale, usually 1:100 and with a scale bar or metric measurements included.

Is it required?

The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact  Assessment) Regulations (2017) apply to two separate types of development:

• Schedule 1 development, for which EIA is required in every case; and
• Schedule 2 development, for which EIA is required only if the development in question is judged to give rise to significant environmental effects.

If you are proposing any large or sensitively located development, please ask us about Environmental Impact assessment as part of your preapplication discussion.

What is required?

If your development proposal is considered to be EIA development, then an Environmental Statement (ES) which assesses the likely significant environmental effects of the proposed development will need to be prepared and submitted as part of the planning application. Information for inclusion in an Environmental Statement is set out in Schedule 4 of the Regulations. The scope of any ES should be agreed by the local planning authority in a formal scoping opinion.

Source, policies and references

National validation requirement

• Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017
• National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG) - Environmental Impact Assessment

When is it required?

Development affecting a heritage asset. Heritage assets are buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas or landscapes which are significant because of their historic interest.

Designated heritage assets include:

• World Heritage Site
• Scheduled Monument
• Listed Building
• Registered Park and Garden
• Conservation Area

For new development, consideration should be given to the potential of archaeological assets.

What is required?

The level of information or investigation required to support a proposal that could impact on a heritage asset needs to be proportionate to the significance of the heritage asset and the potential impact of the works proposed. Pre-application meetings are strongly recommended.

As a minimum, statements will be required to identify heritage assets and demonstrate how proposals have preserved or enhanced their significance.

Source, policies and references

Local validation requirement

• SCLP Policies NH/14 & NH/15
• NPPF Chapter 16
• NPPG - Conserving and enhancing the historic environment Listed Buildings SPD
• Listed building descriptions
• Conservation Area appraisals
• Cambridgeshire Historic Environment Record

When is it required?

It is required where a building

• contains 2 or more dwellings or educational accommodation and
• has a height of 18 metres or more, or 7 or more storeys whichever is reached first

What is required?

Fire statements must be submitted on a form published by the Secretary of State (or a form to similar effect) (see Draft fire statement form) and contain the particulars specified or referred to in the form, which includes information about (not exhaustive list)

• the principles, concepts and approach relating to fire safety that have been applied to each building in the development the site layout
• emergency vehicle access and water supplies for firefighting purposes
• what, if any, consultation has been undertaken on issues relating to the fire safety of the development; and what account has been taken of this
• how any policies relating to fire safety in relevant local development documents have been taken into account

Sources, policies and references

National validation requirement

When is it required?

A surface water drainage strategy is required for all scales of development where surface water will be created or affected.

What is required?

The means of and changes to surface water drainage for householder applications must be shown on the submitted plans. For all other applications, the key information that a surface water drainage strategy must contain is:

• How the proposed surface water scheme has been determined following the drainage hierarchy
• Pre-development runoff rates
• Post development runoff rates with associated storm water storage calculations (see policies referenced below for specific runoff requirements)
• Discharge location(s)
• Drainage calculations to support the design of the system
• Infiltration testing to BRE365 if the proposals recommend infiltration for surface water disposal
• Drawings of the proposed surface water drainage scheme including sub catchment breakdown where applicable
• Maintenance and management plan of surface water drainage system (for the lifetime of the development) including details of future adoption
• Completed drainage proforma included within the Cambridgeshire Flood and Water SPD - the applicant must ensure that the surface water strategy contains the appropriate level of information in relation to the points covered in the proforma.

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDs) must be shown on all relevant plans submitted.

Source, policies and references

Local validation requirement

• CLP Policies CC/8 and CC/9
• Cambridgeshire Flood and Water Supplementary Planning Document (2016) Cambridgeshire County Council Surface
• Water Drainage Guidance for Developers (2018) Ciria SuDS manual (C753)
• Building Regulations Approved Document Part H
• Greater Cambridge Sustainable Design and Construction SPD 2020

When is it required?

For all sizes of development.

What is required?

A sustainability statement and checklist should outline the approach to:

• climate Change mitigation, including carbon reduction
• water management
• site waste management
• use of materials
• other issues including biodiversity and ecology; land, water, noise and air pollution; transport, mobility and access; health and wellbeing; and culture, heritage and the quality of built form, including the efficient use of land.

The statement should be integrated within the Design and Access statement so that it is clear that sustainable design and construction has been integrated into the overall design.

Source, policies and references

Local validation requirement. 

• SCLP policy CC/1
• Greater Cambridge Sustainable Design and Construction SPD 2020, particularly Appendix 1

When it is required

You must demonstrate how your major development site meets the minimum mandatory requirement of 10% biodiversity net gain over the pre-development value of the site.

The minimum information that you must submit is set out in paragraph 9 of the draft biodiversity net gain planning practice guidance.

What is required

Some of these requirements are included in the standard application form available on the Planning Portal. With your application, you must include a completed statutory biodiversity metric and a scaled plan.

Biodiversity metric must be submitted in an Excel format.

Source, policies and references

National validation is required.