When planning permission is granted, the decision notice often includes planning conditions. These conditions may require additional information to be submitted and approved before development can begin, before occupation, or before a particular part of the scheme is carried out.

A landscape planning condition might require further details of planting, materials, boundary treatments, tree planting, maintenance, ecological enhancement, green roofs, hard landscape areas or public realm works.

Discharging a landscape planning condition means submitting the required details to the local planning authority so they can review and decide whether the condition has been satisfied.

The wording of each condition matters. Some conditions are simple and only need a planting plan and schedule. Others require a more coordinated package of drawings, specifications, material details, landscape management notes and supporting information.

Landscape-related planning conditions can apply at different points in a project.

Some are pre-commencement conditions, meaning the required information must be approved before development can lawfully begin.

Some are pre-occupation conditions, meaning the details must be approved or implemented before the building is occupied.

Others are compliance conditions, requiring the development to be carried out in accordance with approved drawings, planting proposals, management plans or replacement planting requirements.

Landscape Ally can help at each stage by reviewing the condition wording and preparing the landscape information needed to support the discharge of condition application.

Landscape Ally can prepare information to support the discharge of planning conditions relating to:

• soft landscaping schemes

• hard landscaping details

• planting plans and planting schedules

• landscape masterplans

• landscape management and maintenance plans

• boundary treatments, fencing and screening

• tree planting and replacement planting

• biodiversity, habitat and ecological enhancement measures where landscape input is required

• green infrastructure and urban greening measures

• green roofs, podium landscapes and planted terraces

• external works and public realm landscape details

• materials, surfacing and edge details

• implementation programmes and establishment maintenance

• pre-commencement, pre-occupation and compliance conditions

For more complex projects, several conditions may overlap. For example, a soft landscaping condition may need to align with arboricultural information, ecological recommendations, drainage proposals, approved architectural layouts and the contractor’s external works package.

Landscape Ally can help identify these overlaps early and prepare a more coordinated submission.

Landscape Ally provides practical planning application landscape support for projects that already have consent but need further landscape information before they can move forward.

We can:

• review the planning decision notice and condition wording

• advise what landscape information is likely to be needed

• identify whether existing approved drawings are sufficient

• prepare new or updated landscape drawings

• coordinate planting, materials, boundaries, green roofs and maintenance information

• work from architectural, planning, ecological, arboricultural, drainage or contractor information

• prepare a proportionate condition discharge package

• support responses to planning officer comments where landscape clarification is requested

The aim is to provide the right level of information: clear enough for the local planning authority to review, coordinated enough to avoid avoidable questions, and proportionate to the scale of the project.

Minor residential schemes and householder developments often receive landscape conditions that appear simple but still require properly coordinated information.

This may include:

• a soft landscaping condition

• a hard landscaping condition

• a planting plan for planning condition discharge

• a boundary treatment or screening condition

• a replacement tree planting condition

• a five-year maintenance requirement

• a landscape scheme planning condition linked to amenity, privacy, drainage or biodiversity

Landscape Ally can prepare proportionate information for small sites, including infill housing, backland development, extensions, conversions, small apartment schemes and residential redevelopment projects.

For these projects, the emphasis is usually on clarity, speed and proportionality. The package should address the condition without overcomplicating the submission.

For larger developments, landscape condition discharge can be more detailed and more technical.

Major residential, commercial, education, healthcare, mixed-use and public realm schemes may require coordinated information across several consultant workstreams. Landscape proposals often need to align with planning drawings, architecture, levels, drainage, arboriculture, ecology, access, maintenance, specification and contractor information.

Landscape Ally can support major developments by preparing or coordinating:

• hard and soft landscape plans

• planting plans and planting schedules

• landscape specifications

• green roof or podium planting information

• public realm material and furniture information

• boundary treatment and screening details

• landscape maintenance and management plans

• implementation and establishment notes

• biodiversity and habitat enhancement measures where landscape-led

• responses to planning officer comments

• updates to drawings following design team or contractor coordination

This support can be provided as a focused condition discharge package or as part of wider landscape architecture support through technical design, tender or implementation stages.