Templates, Checklists and Examples – Page 8

30 September 2026Read article →

Worked greenfield run-off rate for a 0.6 hectare site

A step-by-step illustrative greenfield run-off calculation for a small site, showing the inputs a lead local flood authority checks and why two defensible methods give different answers.

Appeal statement of case for a householder refusal

A householder appeal must be lodged within 12 weeks and there is no further exchange afterwards. A structure for the statement of case, and the evidence inspectors actually use.

Heritage Statement for a listed shopfront alteration

A shopfront heritage statement has to describe significance element by element before it describes the proposal, and be honest about the level of harm identified.

Drainage strategy for a minor residential scheme

On schemes under ten dwellings the lead local flood authority is not a statutory consultee, so the drainage strategy has to convince a case officer on its own.

Viability appraisal inputs: a schedule to agree first

Most viability disputes are arguments about assumptions. Settle benchmark land value, sales values, costs, abnormals and return in a written schedule before the appraisal is run.

Design and access statement for a barn conversion

A rural conversion statement has one argument to make: that the building can become a house without ceasing to be a barn. Here is how to structure it, section by section.

Planning statement for a Green Belt householder extension

The Green Belt householder test is whether an extension is a disproportionate addition over and above the original building. Here is how to measure it and structure the statement.

Construction environmental management plan: a working outline

A construction environmental management plan turns a pre-commencement condition into site rules a contractor can follow. This outline covers dust, noise, water, waste, ecology and complaints.

Whole life carbon assessment: reporting structure

A whole life carbon assessment is judged on its structure as much as its numbers. Here is the order that works, and the reporting errors reviewers look for first.

Fire Statement content checklist for Gateway One

A fire statement is a validation requirement for relevant buildings, made on a published form. Here is what each section has to answer and where applications come unstuck.

Archaeological written scheme of investigation outline

The written scheme of investigation has a conventional structure. Here is each section in order, what it has to answer, and how the document maps onto discharging the condition.

Parking survey: writing the method statement

A parking stress survey stands or falls on the method agreed before fieldwork. Radius, neutral dates, capacity deductions and the 85 per cent threshold, set out in the order an officer reads them.

BS 4142 noise report: the sections an officer checks

Environmental health officers read a BS 4142 report in a fixed order. Here is that order, with the evidence each section needs to survive review.

Obtrusive light assessment: report structure to GN01

A GN01 lighting assessment is checked parameter by parameter. Here is the reporting structure, from zone justification to post-installation verification.

Biodiversity gain plan: what the form asks for

The biodiversity gain plan sits between permission and a start on site. Here is what each field asks for, what the authority checks, and the omissions that cause delay.

Arboricultural method statement: section by section

The method statement is the document a contractor can actually follow. Here is what each section has to contain under BS 5837:2012, and what a tree officer checks before discharging the condition.

Section 106 heads of terms: a drafting structure

Heads of terms are the specification for the agreement. A field-by-field structure that lets a solicitor draft without asking questions, and the definitions that cause most disputes.

Speaking at planning committee: three minutes that work

Most councils allow objectors three minutes at planning committee, frequently pooled across everyone on the item. A tested structure for the speech, plus the points that waste the time.

Pre-application meeting: agenda and what to bring

How to prepare for a pre-application meeting so the advice is worth the fee, including the documents to send in advance and the questions that produce usable answers.

Proof of evidence: a working structure for a witness

The structure an inspector expects in a proof of evidence, from the expert declaration to the summary required once the proof passes 1,500 words.

Statement of common ground: structure for an inquiry

A statement of common ground records what the parties have stopped arguing about. Section by section, what to put in it and where the drafting usually goes wrong.

22 September 2026Read article →

Evidencing a vacant building credit claim: a checklist

The vacant building credit can wipe out an affordable housing contribution, but it is won on evidence. Here is the document pack and the chronology a council will expect.

22 September 2026Read article →

A cover letter structure for a planning submission

The validation officer reads it first and the case officer second. A two-page letter with a proper document schedule saves days on the determination clock.