Local planning application requirements

Local planning application requirements are items you must submit with your planning application. They are in addition to national requirements, reflecting local characteristics and issues.

It is necessary to comply with local as well as national requirements for a planning application to be made valid. 

An invalid application will not be processed, so it is important to check if any local requirements apply to your application proposal.

For more complex proposals ask for pre-application advice, which includes agreeing what the information requirements are for your application.

Types of local requirements

There are 2 types of local requirements in Sheffield: supplementary requirements relating to the drawings and other material requirements describing the proposal and additional technical submissions required to address more complex issues.

In many cases, the need for supporting submissions can be identified by working through the guidance available on these pages. This can be followed up by a pre-application meeting with a case officer where necessary.

Applicant responsibility

Applicants should explain how issues have been addressed and why the proposals should be approved.

This will help to resolve issues earlier in the planning application process and lead to speedier decisions. The absence of a required supporting submission will lead to an application being declared invalid.

Complexity does not only relate to the size of the development proposal. For example, a proposal to convert a barn to a house might require a bat survey, to establish whether or not the habitat of a protected species could be adversely affected or not, and whether mitigation measures are required.

You may need to consult an independent specialist to prepare certain technical reports.

Supporting submissions

Please keep the content of supporting submissions directly relevant to the issues of planning concern.

Clear and easy to follow presentation of evidence (or a non technical summary) can also help members of the public understand the case being put forward. There is no merit in long or over elaborate reports.