Licensed assessors and BREEAM pre-assessment
A credit tracker is not a pre-assessment an officer will rely on. This explains the licensed assessor requirement, the scheme versions, and the condition wording that follows.
Only a licensed assessor can produce a BREEAM assessment that leads to a certificate, and that single fact shapes how a pre-assessment should be handled at planning stage. If you are asking who can do a BREEAM pre-assessment, the short answer is that anyone can produce a credit tracker for design purposes, but the document a planning officer will accept as evidence of a deliverable rating is normally one prepared or signed by an assessor registered under the scheme. Getting that wrong at submission is a validation problem, not a design problem.
The distinction matters most on schemes where a local plan policy or a condition requires a stated rating.
Why the scheme restricts who may assess
BREEAM is operated by BRE, and certification depends on assessments being carried out consistently against a published technical manual. The scheme controls this by licensing individuals, training them on a particular version of the manual, requiring them to submit evidence for quality assurance, and holding a public register of who is currently registered and for which scheme.
That control exists because the ratings are comparative. A rating awarded by someone who interpreted a credit generously is worth nothing to the next building, so the scheme operator has to police interpretation. From a planning point of view, the practical consequence is that a rating claimed in a planning document has no standing unless it can be traced to someone who is able to certify it.
An unregistered author can still do useful work. A design team member can build the credit tracker, identify which credits are realistically available, and write the narrative. What they cannot do is warrant that the rating will be achieved.
Pre-assessment against full assessment
These are different documents with different purposes, and conflating them causes trouble at condition discharge.
A pre-assessment is a forecast. It works through the credits available under the relevant scheme, records which are targeted, which are uncertain and which are not achievable, totals the weighted score and states the anticipated rating. It is not registered with the scheme operator and no certificate results from it.
A full assessment has two formal stages. Design stage certification is issued after the assessor submits evidence against the design, and post-construction certification is issued after the building is complete and as-built evidence has been submitted. Only the post-construction certificate confirms the rating actually achieved.
| Document | Prepared by | Produces a certificate | Usual planning role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-assessment | Assessor, or design team with assessor input | No | Submitted with the application to evidence the target rating |
| Design stage assessment | Licensed assessor | Yes, interim | Often required to discharge a condition before work starts |
| Post-construction assessment | Licensed assessor | Yes, final | Required to discharge the condition before occupation |
Read the wording of any draft condition against that table. A condition requiring a final certificate before occupation is normal. A condition requiring a design stage certificate before any work starts is also common and needs to be programmed, because the evidence submission takes time and the scheme operator's quality assurance adds more.
Scheme versions and picking the right one
BREEAM issues separate schemes for new construction, for refurbishment and fit-out, for existing buildings in use, and for infrastructure, and each scheme is revised periodically. The version matters because credits, weightings and the score thresholds for each rating change between versions.
Two errors recur. The first is a pre-assessment prepared against a superseded version, which produces a score that cannot be reproduced when the project registers. The second is a pre-assessment prepared against the wrong scheme, most often new construction applied to a substantial refurbishment where the refurbishment and fit-out scheme is the correct one.
State the scheme name and version on the front page of the document and in the planning statement. If the project will register after a new version takes effect, say which version the assessment assumes and note the transition arrangements published by the scheme operator. Officers rarely check this. Inspectors and condition discharge officers sometimes do.
What a planning condition usually requires
Local plan sustainability policies for non-residential development commonly require a stated rating, frequently Excellent for new build and Very Good for refurbishment, with the precise requirement varying by authority. The condition that follows normally does three things: it fixes the rating, it requires certification at design stage and post-construction, and it ties the timing to work starting and to occupation.
Where that is the shape of the condition, the pre-assessment submitted with the application is doing one job only: showing the authority that the target is achievable on this design, on this site. It needs to be specific about which credits deliver the score, and honest about the ones that depend on decisions not yet taken.
Where a scheme also has to address operational energy, the BREEAM position should be consistent with the Energy Statement and with any wider Sustainability Statement. Contradictions between these documents are noticed, because the energy credits in the assessment depend on the same modelling.
Design team inputs the assessor depends on
An assessor cannot manufacture credits from a set of planning drawings. The pre-assessment is only as good as the information behind it, and the inputs that matter most are usually:
- Energy modelling outputs, including the approach to fabric performance and building services.
- An ecology baseline and any enhancement proposals, because land use and ecology credits depend on them.
- A transport and travel position, including cycle parking and public transport accessibility.
- Water consumption assumptions for sanitary fittings.
- Materials strategy, including responsible sourcing intentions.
- A construction site management position, since several credits are earned by the contractor rather than the designer.
That last point is the one that causes arguments. Credits for site management, waste and commissioning are earned during construction and are lost if the contractor is appointed without the requirements in the contract documents. If the pre-assessment relies on them to reach the rating, say so explicitly in the document so that the employer's requirements pick them up.
Where several specialist inputs are being commissioned at once, writing one instruction that covers them all saves duplication. Our note on writing a specialist survey brief sets out how to scope that.
Timing against the design programme
Bring the assessor in before the planning submission, not after. The reason is that two or three credit decisions normally have design consequences: roof space for renewables, plant space for low carbon heat, external space for cycle parking and ecology features, and sometimes the building footprint itself. Discovering those after the application is submitted means either a variation or a rating shortfall.
A workable sequence for a non-residential scheme is:
- Appoint an assessor at or before the concept design stage and agree the scheme and version.
- Produce the pre-assessment alongside the energy modelling, so the two share assumptions.
- Submit the pre-assessment with the application, with the target rating stated and the credit route shown.
- Register the project and complete the design stage assessment in time for the condition trigger.
- Carry the construction stage credit requirements into the building contract.
- Complete the post-construction assessment before occupation.
Step five is skipped more often than any other, and it is the one that costs the rating.
Checking an assessor's registration
The scheme operator maintains a public register of licensed assessors, searchable by name and by scheme. Check three things before appointment: that the individual is currently registered, that their registration covers the specific scheme your project needs, and that it covers the version you intend to use.
Ask also whether the person doing the work is the person registered. Delegation within a practice is normal and acceptable, but the registered assessor carries the submission, and if they are not involved in the detail the quality assurance process will find it.
Professional indemnity cover and the fee basis are worth settling at the same time. Assessment fees are usually staged across pre-assessment, design stage and post-construction, and the certification fees payable to the scheme operator are separate from the assessor's fee. Confirm which is which in writing.
Councils generally expect a suitably qualified author for a BREEAM Pre-Assessment, and professional review before submission is strongly advised. Reviewers who can check and sign off a draft can be found through the professional directory.
This is general guidance, not legal advice; check the position with your local planning authority or a qualified professional before relying on it.
A PlanScope draft sets out the policy requirement, the target rating and the credit route in the format an officer expects, and marks clearly every input that needs confirming by the assessor. For specialist technical reports, qualified professional input may be required.
PlanScope provides AI-assisted draft reports for planning applications. Reports should be reviewed before submission. We do not guarantee planning approval.
Frequently asked questions
Who can prepare a BREEAM pre-assessment?
Anyone can build a credit tracker for design purposes, but the document an officer will treat as evidence of a deliverable rating is normally prepared or signed by an assessor licensed under the relevant scheme. Only a licensed assessor can take a project through design stage and post-construction certification, so an unregistered author cannot warrant the rating will be achieved.
Is a pre-assessment the same as a BREEAM certificate?
No. A pre-assessment is a forecast of the anticipated rating, is not registered with the scheme operator, and produces no certificate. Design stage certification follows an assessor's evidence submission against the design, and post-construction certification follows as-built evidence. Only the post-construction certificate confirms the rating the building actually achieved.
Which BREEAM scheme version should the pre-assessment use?
The version the project will register under, stated explicitly on the front page. Credits, weightings and score thresholds change between versions, so an assessment prepared against a superseded version produces a score that cannot be reproduced at registration. Check the scheme operator's published transition arrangements if registration will fall after a new version takes effect.
What rating do local plan policies usually require?
Requirements vary by authority, but non-residential policies commonly seek Excellent for new build and Very Good for refurbishment, with the precise wording set out in the adopted local plan. Read the policy and any draft condition together, because the condition normally fixes the rating and ties certification to work starting and to occupation.
How do I check an assessor is registered?
The scheme operator maintains a public register of licensed assessors, searchable by name and scheme. Confirm the individual is currently registered, that the registration covers the scheme your project needs, and that it covers the intended version. Ask whether the registered assessor is doing the work, since the quality assurance process will test their involvement.
Sources and further reading
This article is general guidance about the planning system in England and, where stated, the rest of the UK. It is not legal or professional advice. Check your local planning authority’s validation requirements and take professional advice for your specific site.