Frequently asked questions

What is the Regional Sustainability Checklist for Developments?

1. What is the Regional Sustainability Checklist for Developments?
2. When is the Checklist used?
3. How does the Checklist benefit the Developer?
4. How does the Checklist benefit the Local Planning Authority?
5. How does the Checklist benefit the wider community?

Why have a Sustainability Checklist for Developments?

1. Why have a Sustainability Checklist for Developments?
2. Why have regional sustainability checklists for development rather than a single national version?
3. Why have modification at the local authority level?

The Checklist and the planning system

1. How does the Checklist fit with the planning system?
2. How is it integrated into regional and local planning policy?
3. In major developments, is the Checklist intended for outline or full planning applications?
4. Can it help speed up the planning process?
5. Does it have a role in pre-application discussions?
6. Doesn’t it just make extra work for the Planning Officer and Developer?
7. Does the Checklist score decide whether or not planning consent is given?
8. What about links to other formal assessments – eg Environmental Impact Assessments, Health Impact Assessments, Transport Impact Assessments for example?
9. Does it relate to Sustainability Appraisals / Strategic Environmental Assessment?
10. Can it be used in choosing sites to bring forward in options for the Development Plan Document?
11. How does it help with the requirement for Annual Monitoring Reports?
12. Can the Regional Checklist be used by a developer where it is not required by the local planning authority?

What sort of development can the checklist be used for?

1. What types of development is the checklist designed for?
2. Do I really have to fill in the whole checklist for a small development?

How does it relate to other tools?

1. Does the Checklist fit with Design Quality Indicators and other sustainability tools?
2. How are the Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM included in the Checklist?

How was the list of questions in the Checklist drawn up?

1. Where did the questions in the Checklist come from?
2. Where did the section headings come from?
3. Are the section headings different in each region?
4. So how is the Checklist regionally specific?
5. Can you compare sustainability performance between regions?
6. Can you compare sustainability performance between local authorities?

Minimum standards

1. Why doesn’t the Checklist set minimum standards?
2. What if the local authority does not have a minimum standard for some of the questions?
3. What if the development does not meet minimum standards for a particular question?

“Good” and “Best” practice standards

1. Why does the Checklist have good and best practice standards, why not just give a minimum?
2. Where do the “good” and “best” practice standards come from?
3. Why don’t some questions have “best practice” standards?
4. If you get mostly “best practice” answers, is the development completely sustainable?

What if some of the questions don't apply?

1. What happens where some questions are not applicable to a particular development?

Weightings

1. Why weight the checklist?
2. But surely weighting removes the integrated approach to sustainability?
3. So are the questions just ranked?
4. How was it weighted?
5. Can the weightings be changed?

Can the Checklist be audited?

1. Can you check that the Developer has scored their application correctly?
2. Does the Development Control officer have to check every single justification?
3. Can the Checklist be used for independent audits of planning applications?
4. How does the Planning Authority check that the Developer has done what they said they would do?

Tailoring the Checklist for local authorities

1. How can the Checklist be tailored to meet the needs of the individual local authority?

Updating

1. How will the Regional Checklists be updated?

Endorsement

1. The Regional Checklist is endorsed by: