Concept Statements: Getting the right development on the right site
A Concept Statement is a simple, clear expression of the kind of place that new development should create. It is a brief explanation of how development on that site should contribute to the local authority’s vision. Concept Statements explain how the policies and objectives of the Local Plan or Local Development Document should apply to each specific site, in order to deliver the best possible economic, social and environmental benefits.
Concept Statements are less detailed than development briefs, but more informative for developers and the community than the statutory plan’s policies and maps. Most Concept Statements can be fitted onto two sides of A4 paper.
It is incompatible with the principles of sustainable development to release building land without a specification for the scheme to be developed on that land. It might be the right site, but without robust guidance there is no guarantee that development will result in the right scheme.
For many years, councillors, planning officers, the public and even developers have been frustrated by the planning systems’s inability to secure high quality, sustainable development. Concept Statements are an effective way of tacking the problem. This simple planning technique has now been tried alongside local plans in South Hams, South Gloucestershire and East Hampshire. It has been tested on several developments in Northern Ireland, and used for sites in High Peak, Craven and Derbyshire Dales.
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