The most common reason planning applications stall is not refusal — it is invalidation, because a required report was missing. This generator asks six questions, checks your postcode against the Environment Agency's flood zones and the national AQMA register live, and builds a personalised checklist of the documents your application is likely to need.
Build your checklist
The generator needs JavaScript. The triggers it uses are explained below — and your council's validation list is always the final word.
The triggers behind the checklist
- Flood risk assessment — required in Flood Zones 2 and 3, on Zone 1 sites over 1 hectare, and within 20 m of a watercourse (GOV.UK guidance).
- Air quality assessment — expected inside AQMAs and for new exposure near busy roads, per EPUK/IAQM screening criteria.
- Energy statement — most councils require one for new dwellings; every London borough applies the 35% on-site carbon policy.
- Sustainability statement / BNG — mandatory 10% biodiversity net gain applies to most non-householder applications unless exempt.
- Daylight & sunlight report — increasingly requested where massing sits close to neighbouring windows; screen it with the 45-degree checker.
- Space standards — new dwellings must meet minimum sizes where the council has adopted the national standard.
Why validation fails so often
Every council publishes its own validation checklist, layered on top of the national requirements — and the lists change. The practical routine: run this generator for the national picture, then open your council's local list and reconcile the two before you submit. Ten minutes of checking beats six weeks of an invalid application sitting in a queue.
How Fortress Associates can help
Four of the most commonly demanded documents are available from us free, in minutes: flood risk assessments, air quality assessments, energy statements and sustainability statements — plus professional daylight and sunlight reports in 4–5 days. Budget with the fee calculator, track dates with the deadline calculator, and see all our tools at clockfortress.com/free-tools. Questions? Get in touch.
Sources & further reading
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