A Design and Access Statement is a concise supporting report that accompanies certain applications for planning permission and applications for listed building consent. It explains how the proposed development responds to the site and its setting, and shows that it can be adequately accessed by prospective users. It is not an application form, not a planning decision, and not a guarantee that permission will be granted.
GOV.UK describes a Design and Access Statement as a framework for applicants to explain how the proposed development is a suitable response to the site and its setting, and to demonstrate that it can be adequately accessed by prospective users. It can help the local planning authority and others understand the analysis behind the design.
The level of detail should be proportionate to the complexity of the application, but the statement should not be long. It sits alongside the application form, drawings and any other supporting information. It does not replace those documents, and it does not decide the application.
For applications for planning permission that must be accompanied by a Design and Access Statement, national guidance says the statement must:
Context means the particular characteristics of the application site and its wider setting. Those facts are specific to the application, so the statement should be tailored to them. Depending on the proposal, explaining the design may involve layout, scale, appearance, materials or landscaping. Those topics are ways of describing the design in context. They are not a separate statutory checklist for every Design and Access Statement.
A Design and Access Statement accompanying an application for listed building consent has additional requirements. It must explain the design principles applied to the works and how they take account of the listed building’s importance, the features that justify its listing, and its setting. Unless the works affect only the interior, it must also explain how access has been considered. Combined planning and listed-building applications can use a single statement that covers both.
A Design and Access Statement is required only for certain applications. It is not required for every planning application.
National guidance currently says a Design and Access Statement must accompany: applications for major development, as defined in article 2 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015; applications for development in a designated area where the proposal consists of one or more dwellings, or a building or buildings with a floor space of 100 square metres or more; and applications for listed building consent. For this purpose, a designated area means a World Heritage Site or a conservation area.
The same guidance says a Design and Access Statement is not needed for applications for waste development, a material change of use, engineering or mining operations, or applications only to amend the conditions attached to a planning permission.
A local planning authority may also publish a local list of supporting information. That list cannot replace the statutory Design and Access Statement rules. If a DAS is required by those rules, it still has to be provided. If it is not required, a local list might still ask for other design information, which is a separate question. Confirm the current published requirements with the relevant local planning authority.
People often search for a Design and Access Statement for a house extension. Many ordinary householder extensions do not fall within the national DAS categories. That is not the same as saying no householder project ever needs one.
A DAS can still be required where the application is for listed building consent, or where development in a conservation area or World Heritage Site meets the dwelling or floorspace tests in the national guidance. Whether that applies depends on the application, the site and the proposal. This page cannot decide that for a particular house.
Some householder work does not need a planning application at all if it is permitted development. Where an application is needed, check the relevant local planning authority’s published requirements rather than assuming a DAS is, or is not, required.
See the permitted development guide for general householder rules, or the Permitted Development Check if you want Verilio to look at a specific project.
A Design and Access Statement explains the design approach and, where applicable, access considerations.
A Planning Statement primarily explains the planning context and policy considerations, and how the proposal relates to them.
They can serve different purposes. One does not automatically replace the other. Some applications need a Design and Access Statement under the national rules. A Planning Statement is more often a supporting document asked for through local validation guidance, or used to explain the planning case. Some applications need neither, both, or other supporting information instead.
For the planning-policy document, see the Planning Statement guide.
People looking for a Design and Access Statement example or template often want a starting outline. The list below is an illustrative structure only. It is not a universal template, not a copy of a real application, and not a substitute for the content the application actually requires.
The exact content must follow the relevant application requirements. A one-size-fits-all template does not guarantee that a statement will meet those requirements.
Verilio’s £99 Planning Preparation service researches the property, uses the project details you provide, and identifies relevant planning context from available information. Where the project and application call for one, it can help prepare a Design and Access Statement.
Not every Planning Preparation project includes a Design and Access Statement. Verilio prepares supporting documents where they are appropriate to the project. It does not independently decide the legal requirement, and it does not guarantee that a prepared statement will be accepted or that planning permission will be granted.
You review and edit the documents before you use them. Verilio does not submit the application.
If you first want the planning history and constraints for an address, start with Property & Planning Research. The full Planning Preparation package includes property research and document preparation together.
Planning Preparation — £99No. National guidance requires one only for certain applications, including some major development, some development in conservation areas and World Heritage Sites, and listed building consent. Other applications do not need one under those rules.
Where it is required with a planning application, it must explain the design principles applied, how the design responds to the site’s context, and the approach to access, including relevant Local Plan policy and any access consultation. The detail should be proportionate. Listed building consent has extra requirements.
Yes. Many applicants write their own. The useful ones are specific to the site, proportionate, and honest about what has been considered. More complex or listed-building applications may still need professional advice.
No. A Design and Access Statement is about design and, where applicable, access. A Planning Statement is about planning policy and context. They can both appear on the same application, but one does not replace the other.
Not necessarily. Many householder extensions do not fall within the national DAS categories. Some still do, for example listed building consent or certain development in a conservation area or World Heritage Site. Confirm the position against the current GOV.UK guidance and the relevant local planning authority’s published requirements.
DAS is short for Design and Access Statement. It explains design thinking and access. A Planning Statement explains how the proposal relates to planning policy and other planning considerations. Check which documents apply to the application rather than treating them as interchangeable.
The requirements below come from national GOV.UK guidance. They apply to certain applications in England. They are not a universal rule for every householder project.
Making an application (GOV.UK). National guidance on submitting a planning application in England, including what a Design and Access Statement is, which applications must be accompanied by one, and what it must include.