Validation Checklist

From 1st February 2011 Reading Borough Council Planning Department and all other Berkshire planning authorities will be implementing a standard approach to validation (part 1 requirements). It is envisaged these changes will provide consistency across the Berkshire Planning Authorities, thus enabling agents and applicants to provide the correct information required to make a planning application valid when submitted. Details of this standard approach can be viewed via the PDF file at the bottom of this page.

These changes are being introduced following the Communities and Local Government document ‘Guidance on information requirements and validation’ published 16 March 2010. This can be viewed via the External Link at the bottom of this page.

The Council’s adopted Validation Checklist, used by planning staff to ensure that planning applications submitted to the Council contain all the information necessary for the application to be processed, remains effective. The adoption of this revised Checklist followed a period of consultation and consideration of consultation responses by the Council’s Planning Applications Committee. The revised Checklist became effective from January 2008. Applications that are not supported by information that the Checklist indicates to be required, will either result in the application being invalidated or may be a reason for refusal. The Adopted Validation Checklist can be viewed via PDF file at the bottom of this page.

Different types of application need to be supported by additional information on a range of different topics in order for their impacts to be assessed thoroughly. The Validation Checklist sets out information requirements that are likely to be needed to accompany different types of application, in addition to standard forms, plans and other information that is required for all applications.

The Validation Checklist is part of a wider process. The Council provides a pre-application advice service, of which prospective applicants are encouraged to take advantage. This can be used to identify further information needs for the benefit of applicants at an early stage. Taken together, pre-application advice with more certainty over the validation process will be a helpful service which can assist developers in achieving acceptable standards in terms of application submission and the design and environmental quality of proposals. This therefore means reasonable prospects of approval within the timescales set by government; whilst at the same time giving the authority a more structured process and more control in relation to meeting performance targets.

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