Sustainability
Statements
Policy-compliant — on request.
Many local planning authorities will not validate a planning application without a sustainability statement. We produce clear, policy-compliant statements that show how your development meets local and national sustainability requirements — keeping your application moving.
- Tailored to your specific local planning policies
- Produced alongside energy statements & SAP for consistency
- Fixed price, fast turnaround, nationwide
On Request
Fixed Price Quote
5–10 Days
Typical Turnaround
6 Themes
Policy Areas Covered
Nationwide
Coverage
What is a Sustainability Statement?
A sustainability statement is a planning document that sets out how a proposed development responds to local and national sustainability policies. It covers a broader range of themes than an energy statement — energy and carbon, water efficiency, materials and waste, ecology, transport, and climate resilience.
A growing number of councils require a sustainability statement either as a mandatory validation document or as a planning condition. Without one, your application may not be validated — causing delays before it has even been registered.
Who needs one?
Developers, architects, planning consultants and self-builders submitting planning applications where a sustainability statement is required or beneficial. This includes larger residential schemes, commercial developments, and projects in local authority areas with explicit sustainability validation requirements.
How does it fit with other planning documents?
A sustainability statement is frequently submitted alongside an energy statement and SAP or SBEM calculations. We produce all three together, ensuring the carbon and energy numbers are consistent across every document that reaches the planning officer.
Six sustainability themes in every statement.
The specific policies and their weighting vary by local authority — but these are the core themes we address in every sustainability statement we produce.
Energy hierarchy
Be Lean, Be Clean, Be Green — reducing demand before adding renewables. Aligned with SAP/SBEM carbon modelling where produced alongside an energy statement.
Water efficiency
Addressing Part G targets and any local plan water-efficiency requirements, including whole-life water consumption and grey-water or rainwater harvesting where relevant.
Materials & waste
Sustainable material choices, responsibly sourced timber and aggregates, and a construction waste management strategy addressing local validation requirements.
Ecology & biodiversity
Setting out how the scheme responds to biodiversity net gain requirements, urban greening factors, and any specific ecological constraints on the site.
Transport & active travel
Active travel provision, EV charging, cycle storage, and links to public transport — the sustainability statement threads these commitments into the planning narrative.
Climate resilience
Flood risk response, urban heat island mitigation, overheating management (aligned with Part O where applicable), and green infrastructure strategy.
A joined-up planning package.
Policy-tailored statements, consistent with your energy and SAP documents, with planning officer liaison and fast turnaround — so your application reaches validation without unnecessary delays.
Not a generic template
Every statement references the actual local plan policies for your site — the right policies, the right evidence, addressed to the planning officer reviewing your application.
Tailored to Your Local Plan
Every statement is written against the specific policies of your planning authority — not adapted from a generic template. The right policies, the right weighting, the right language.
Covers All Sustainability Themes
Energy hierarchy, water efficiency, materials and waste, ecology, transport, and climate resilience — all addressed in a single, structured document.
Joined-Up Planning Package
Produced alongside energy statements, SAP/SBEM calculations and overheating assessments where needed — consistent numbers and no conflicting information across your planning documents.
Planning Officer Liaison
We liaise with planning and sustainability officers before submission where helpful, and respond to any requests for information after submission at no extra charge.
Fast Turnaround for Deadlines
Typically delivered within 5–10 working days. Tell us your planning validation deadline and we will prioritise your project to keep the application on track.
Nationwide Coverage
From London Plan boroughs to rural and greenbelt authorities across England, Wales and Scotland — we know the local plan landscape and deliver wherever your project is.
Four steps to your submission-ready statement.
From initial policy review to a formatted, submission-ready document. Straightforward, fast, and tailored to the authority reviewing your application.
Policy Review
We identify the relevant local plan and national sustainability policies for your site — the starting point for every statement we write.
Scheme Assessment
We review the proposals against those policies — energy hierarchy, water, materials, waste, biodiversity, transport — and identify any gaps or commitments needed.
Statement Preparation
A structured statement evidencing compliance against each policy theme, with any specific commitments and design responses clearly set out.
Submission-Ready
A formatted document ready for upload with your planning application, with any revisions or requests for information handled at no extra charge.
Part of a joined-up planning package.
A sustainability statement is most effective when produced alongside the other compliance documents your planning application needs. We cover all of these under one commission.
Energy Statement
Focuses on carbon reduction and the energy hierarchy — often submitted alongside a sustainability statement, particularly in London Plan boroughs.
Find out moreLondon Plan Compliance
For developments in Greater London — addressing the full suite of London Plan energy and sustainability policies, including the 35% carbon reduction requirement.
Find out moreOverheating Assessments
Part O overheating compliance — frequently addressed within or alongside a sustainability statement, particularly for south-facing or highly glazed schemes.
Find out moreFixed price, quoted on request.
Send us the site address, the local authority, and the scale of development — we will confirm the relevant policy framework and quote a fixed price, including any requests for information after submission.
Fixed price quoted individually based on the scheme size, local authority, and whether additional planning documents (energy statement, SAP/SBEM, overheating assessment) are commissioned together.
- Tailored to your local plan policies — not a generic template
- All six sustainability themes addressed
- Planning officer liaison & RFI responses included
- Consistent with energy statement & SAP/SBEM when produced together
Get your Sustainability Statement quote
Takes 60 seconds. No obligation. Working to a planning validation deadline? Tell us — we will prioritise your project.
Sustainability Statement questions.
Everything you need to know about sustainability statements — when you need one, what they cover, and how they fit with the rest of your planning documents.
Still Got a Question? Ask Us Is a sustainability statement the same as an energy statement?
No — they cover different ground. An energy statement focuses specifically on carbon emissions and energy efficiency. A sustainability statement is broader, covering water efficiency, materials and waste, biodiversity, transport, and climate resilience alongside energy. They are often submitted together, and we can produce both under one commission.
Do I definitely need a sustainability statement?
It depends on the council and the scale of your development. Some local authorities list a sustainability statement as a mandatory validation document; others require one only for larger schemes or in specific policy areas. We check your local validation requirements as part of our initial review — no charge for that.
When should a sustainability statement be prepared?
At planning application stage, and ideally early in the design process so that sustainability commitments can genuinely influence the scheme rather than being bolted on. Early preparation also avoids validation delays.
What policies does a sustainability statement address?
Typically the energy hierarchy, water efficiency targets, materials and waste strategy, ecology and biodiversity, transport and active travel, and climate resilience (flood risk, overheating, urban greening). The specific policies — and their weighting — vary by local plan, which is why we tailor every statement to the site rather than using a generic template.
Can you produce the sustainability statement alongside an energy statement or SAP calculations?
Yes — this is our preferred approach. Producing the sustainability statement, energy statement, and SAP or SBEM calculations together means the carbon and energy numbers are consistent across all documents, and there is no risk of conflicting information reaching the planning officer.
How long does it take to produce?
A typical sustainability statement is delivered within 5–10 working days once we have the relevant plans and information about the scheme. Tell us your planning deadline and we will prioritise accordingly.
What if the planning officer raises questions after submission?
We respond to any requests for information or planning conditions relating to the sustainability statement at no extra charge. Our aim is to keep your application moving to determination.
Do you work outside London?
Yes — sustainability statements are required by planning authorities across the UK, not just in London. We deliver nationwide, and we are familiar with a wide range of local plan policies.