Reserved matters are items that are excluded from an outline planning application because they will be determined by future planning approval, or have not yet been developed to a satisfactory degree.
If outline approval is given, an applicant has three years to submit a new application to gain approval for the reserved matters left off the previous application.
Subject areas
Reserved matters often include the following areas:
Access
The accessibility to and within a site for vehicles, cycles and pedestrians. The positioning, treatment and circulation of routes and how these fit into the surrounding access network.
Appearance
The aspects of a building, or place, within the development that decide how a visual impression is made. This includes the external form of a development, its architecture, materials, decoration, lighting, colour and texture.
Landscaping
The treatment of land (other than buildings) for the purpose of enhancing or protecting the amenities of a site. This includes:
- screening by fences, walls or other means
- the planting of trees, hedges, shrubs or grass
- the formation of banks, terraces or other earthworks
- the laying out or provision of gardens, courts, squares, water features, sculpture or public art
- the provision of other amenity features;
Layout
The way buildings, routes and open spaces within a development are situated and orientated about each other and to buildings and spaces outside the development
Scale
The height, width and length of each building proposed in relation to its surroundings.