Validation Checklist for Planning Applications

Adopted Validation Checklist

Ribble Valley Borough Council has adopted a local validation checklist for the purposes of validating planning applications. As well as outlining mandatory national requirements, the document outlines a local list of validation criteria. This ensures that the Council has the right level of information submitted with the planning application at the start of the process, which can avoid unnecessary delay.

The Council consulted on a draft (updated) local valication checklist for a 6 week period between 21st June and 2nd August 2023 which was then adopted by the Planning and Development Committee on 24th August 2023. An updated version has been adopted by Committee on 29th May 2025 and will be used to validate all planning applications received after this date. This update reflects changes nationally in planning guidance/legislation that have arrisen since August 2023 as follows:-

1. Publication of the 'NaFRA2 - National Flood Risk Assessment 2' in March 2025 which represents an updated flood risk assessment model, and these new maps are a material consideration in planning decisions in determining whether a flood risk assessment and flood risk sequential test are required.

2. Publication of legislation relating to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) with the document reflecting the national minimum information requirements and also ensuring that sufficient efficence is submitted where the applicatin is claiming a development is exempt based on the de minimis rule.

The Council's local list is set out in the Adopted Validation Checklist for Planning Applications (May 2025).

This document will be periodically reviewed, at least every two years, to ensure it remains up to date.