Advice on planning application supporting documents

Adopted policy in this area is set out in the London Plan 2021, including Policy SI 2 Minimising greenhouse gas emissions and Policy SI 7 Reducing waste and supporting the circular economy and also in our City Plan 2019-2040, especially Policy 38 (D) Sustainable Design.

Planning Validation Requirements

Our adopted local validation list currently requires a Circular Economy Statement for all referrable applications and a Whole Life Cycle Carbon assessment for all major redevelopment schemes with substantial demolition. This is also encouraged for all majors. You should refer to the GLA Circular Economy Statement and Whole Life Carbon assessment guidance in preparing your statement and the guidance set out below.

Guidance and Checklists

In the context of Westminster’s commitment to reach net zero carbon by 2040, applicants are advised to give early consideration to how to minimise both operational and embodied carbon emissions.

RIBA, LETI, and UKGBC have published a number of guidance documents helping designers to reduce their embodied carbon footprint, incorporating circular economy design principles through early considerations and retaining building layers at their highest value.

To assist applicants, we have also prepared the following checklists, which provide informal guidance on policy and standards, ensuring that all relevant requirements are considered early in the design process and encouraging applicants to achieve best practice standards.