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Do I Need a Planning Supporting Statement?

6 June 2025 · 5 min read

It's one of the most common questions people ask before submitting a planning application: do I actually need a supporting statement, or can I get away without one? The honest answer is: it depends on the application — but for most applications beyond a simple householder extension, the answer is yes, and submitting without one is a false economy.

This guide explains when a supporting statement is formally required, when it's strongly advisable even if not mandatory, and what the consequences are of submitting without one.

When is a planning supporting statement formally required?

A planning supporting statement (sometimes called a planning statement or design and access statement) can be formally required in two ways:

1. The LPA's local validation checklist

Every local planning authority publishes a local validation checklist — a list of documents required to validate a planning application. Many LPAs include a planning supporting statement or planning statement on their checklist for certain application types: new dwellings, change of use applications, commercial development, and applications affecting heritage assets.

If a required document is missing, the LPA can invalidate the application and return it to you. Check your LPA's validation checklist before submitting — it will usually be on their website under "Planning applications" or "Making a planning application."

2. Applications affecting designated heritage assets

For applications affecting a listed building or located in a conservation area, a heritage assessment addressing the significance of the asset and the impact of the proposal is effectively required by law — it is what NPPF paragraph 189 mandates. Without it, the LPA cannot properly assess the application and will either invalidate it or refuse it on the grounds of insufficient information.

When is a supporting statement strongly advisable?

Even where a supporting statement is not formally required, it is strongly advisable — and in practice almost essential — in the following situations:

Any application that a neighbour might object to

Neighbour objections carry weight in planning decisions, particularly where they raise genuine policy concerns. A supporting statement that pre-emptively addresses those concerns — explaining why there is no unacceptable harm to amenity, no overlooking, no overbearing impact — is the most effective way to neutralise objections before they are made.

Applications on constrained or sensitive sites

If the site is in a conservation area, near a listed building, in a flood zone, in the Green Belt, on a steep slope, or subject to any other constraint, a supporting statement is essential. These constraints all require specific policy arguments that cannot be made through plans and drawings alone.

Applications involving a departure from the development plan

If the proposal conflicts with any development plan policy — even a minor conflict — a supporting statement is the document that makes the case for why material considerations outweigh that conflict and why permission should nonetheless be granted.

Applications with planning history

If there have been previous applications on the site — particularly any refusals — a supporting statement that specifically addresses the reasons for refusal and explains how the current proposal overcomes them is essential. Without it, the planning officer has no basis for concluding that the previous concerns have been addressed.

Change of use applications

Change of use applications engage policy questions — about land use, sequential assessment, economic impact, housing supply — that cannot be answered by plans and drawings alone. A supporting statement is almost always required or strongly advisable for any change of use application.

New dwellings

New dwelling applications require a statement addressing the principle of development, housing policy compliance, design, and sustainability. For applications outside a settlement boundary, the statement is the most important document in the application.

What happens if you don't include a supporting statement?

Three things can happen, in increasing order of severity:

1. The application is invalidated. If a supporting statement is on the LPA's validation checklist and you haven't included one, the application will be returned to you as invalid. You lose time and potentially the application fee.
2. The planning officer refuses on grounds of insufficient information. Even if the application is validated without a statement, the officer may refuse it because they cannot properly assess the proposal — particularly for heritage or impact assessments.
3. The application is refused on policy grounds that a statement would have addressed. This is the most common outcome. Without a statement, there is no document making the policy case. The officer applies the policies as they see them, without the benefit of your arguments. Objections go unaddressed. Refusals that could have been avoided are issued.

Is a supporting statement the same as a design and access statement?

No, though they overlap. A design and access statement is a specific document required for certain applications — primarily major developments, listed building applications, and applications in designated areas. It focuses on the design rationale and how access has been considered.

A planning supporting statement is broader — it addresses the full planning policy framework and makes the case for approval against the development plan and NPPF. The two can be combined into a single document or submitted separately.

Further reading

• What is a Planning Supporting Statement?
• How to Write a Planning Supporting Statement (UK Guide)
• Planning Supporting Statement for Change of Use
• Planning Supporting Statement for a New Dwelling