Design and access statements are a new formal requirement for many planning applications and their purpose and preparation is widely misunderstood. Architects normally undertake most of the work involved as a matter of course during the development of a scheme, as an aide to their own thinking and to help them explain the scheme to others.
Inevitably, however, many proposals are being submitted to planning authorities without adequate design and access statements. So, despite the fact that they should not be prepared as an afterthought, many are, sometimes at substantial and unnecessary cost.
I can offer:
the preparation of design and access statements for outline proposals. The importance of these should not be underestimated as they set the framework for detailed designs at a later stage.
"rescue packages" and troubleshooting for cases in which a design and access statement has been rejected by the local planning authority or the proposal has been judged not to follow the terms of the statement and where resolution is needed at minimum cost.
evaluation of schemes and their design and access statements for local planning authorities.
training on design and access statements for local authority officers and elected members (see training and support page).