Frequently asked questions

What is the Regional Sustainability Checklist for Developments?

  1. What is the Brighton & Hove Sustainability Checklist for Developments?
  2. When is the Checklist used?
  3. How does the Checklist benefit the Developer?
  4. How does the Checklist benefit the Local Planning Authority?
  5. How does the Checklist benefit the wider community?

Why have a Sustainability Checklist for Developments?

  1. Why have a Sustainability Checklist for Developments in Brighton & Hove?
  2. Why adjust the South East Checklist to suit Brighton & Hove’s needs?

The Brighton & Hove Checklist and the planning system

  1. How does the Brighton & Hove Checklist fit with the planning system?
  2. How is it integrated into regional and local planning policy?
  3. In major developments, is the Checklist intended for outline or full planning applications?
  4. Can it help speed up the planning process?
  5. Does it have a role in pre-application discussions?
  6. Doesn’t it just make extra work for the Planning Officer and Developer?
  7. Does the Checklist score decide whether or not planning consent is given?
  8. What about links to other formal assessments – eg Environmental Impact Assessments, Health Impact Assessments, Transport Impact Assessments for example?
  9. Does it relate to Sustainability Appraisals/Strategic Environmental Assessment?
  10. How does it help with the requirement for Annual Monitoring Reports?
  11. Can the Brighton & Hove Checklist be used by a developer where it is not required by the local planning authority?

What sort of development can the checklist be used for?

  1. What types of development is the checklist designed for?
  2. Do developers/planning applicants have to fill in the whole Checklist for a small development?

How does it relate to other tools?

  1. Does the Checklist fit with Design Quality Indicators and other sustainability tools?
  2. How are Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM assessments included in the Checklist?

How was the list of questions in the Checklist drawn up?

  1. How was the list of questions in the Checklist drawn up?
  2. Where did the section headings come from?
  3. Are the section headings in the Brighton & Hove Checklist different from those in the South East one?
  4. How does the Brighton & Hove checklist relate to the regional one?
  5. Can you compare sustainability performance between local authorities in the South East?

Minimum standards

  1. What if the development does not meet minimum standards for a particular question?

‘Good’ and ‘Best’ practice standards

  1. Why does the Checklist have good and best practice standards, why not just give a minimum?
  2. Where do the ‘good’ and ‘best’ practice standards come from?
  3. Why don’t some questions have ‘best practice’ standards?
  4. If you get mostly ‘best practice’ answers, is the development completely sustainable?

What if some of the questions don’t apply?

  1. What happens where some questions are not applicable to a particular development?

Weightings

  1. Why weight the checklist?
  2. But surely weighting removes the integrated approach to sustainability?
  3. So are the questions just ranked?
  4. How was it weighted?

Can the Checklist be audited?

  1. Can the Local Planning Authority check that the Developer/Planning Applicant has scored their application correctly?
  2. Does the Development Control officer have to check every single justification?
  3. Can the Checklist be used for independent audits of planning applications?
  4. How does the Planning Authority check that the Developer has done what they said they would do?

Tailoring the Checklist for local authorities

  1. How can the Checklist be tailored to meet the needs of other local authorities?

Updating

  1. How will the Brighton & Hove Checklist be updated?

Endorsement

  1. South East Checklist is endorsed by:
  2. Brighton & Hove checklist is endorsed by:

This checklist has been replaced

All planning applications received from 13 July 2011 requiring the submission of a checklist at Validation stage must include a new version of the checklist.

Further information is available from the Brighton & Hove Sustainability Checklist website.

This checklist will remain online to allow existing users to reference their existing projects. New accounts and projects can no longer be created.