Planning application - local requirement
When the requirement applies
You need to submit an Open Space Assessment with your planning application when you are proposing a major development. Major development means ten or more new dwellings, over 1000sq m of new floor space or development carried out on a site having an area of 1 hectare or more. Open space for public use can be land in the form of playing fields, parks, communal green areas and natural green space, or areas of water, such as rivers, canals, lakes and reservoirs which offer opportunities for sport and recreation and can also provide a place to walk and enjoy, with an open outlook for residents or visitors. The Open Space Assessment will inform the Green Infrastructure Proposal for the development.
What the assessment should include
Plans should show any areas of existing or proposed open space and its current and future anticipated use, within or adjoining the development site. We recognise the value of open space for community use and enjoyment, and we will not generally allow planning permission for schemes which reduce it. For a planning application to succeed, the applicant must demonstrate through an independent assessment that the community has sufficient access to open space elsewhere, and that the development site is surplus to requirements. For more detail on planning policy on this issue, please view the documents below.