← All Intelligence Modules

🔍 Site Intelligence

Environmental screening, heritage, ecology, flood risk, contamination, and constraint assessment.

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Use these tools early in your project to understand what environmental, heritage, and ecological constraints affect your site. The results will determine which technical reports you need and shape your application strategy.
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Flood Risk Assessment Popular

Check flood zone classification, determine Sequential and Exception Test requirements, SuDS strategy, and required documentation.

When to use: Use when your site is near a river, coast, or in a known flood area. Required for all sites in Flood Zones 2 or 3, and for major development in Zone 1.
📜 NPPF Section 14, PPG Flood Risk
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Flood Screening

Quick NPPF Sequential Test, Exception Test, and EA flood zone vulnerability screening with climate change allowances.

When to use: Use for a fast initial check before commissioning a full Flood Risk Assessment. Helps decide if an FRA is needed.
📜 NPPF flood risk policies F1-F9
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Contamination

Phase 1 preliminary risk assessment — source-pathway-receptor analysis, contaminant identification, and investigation requirements per CLR11/BS 10175.

When to use: Use when your site has a history of industrial, commercial, or agricultural use, or is near a petrol station, landfill, or factory.
📜 NPPF ground conditions policy P2, Part 2A EPA 1990
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Ground Stability New

Coal Authority referral check, shrink-swell clay risk, landslip assessment, and mining legacy screening.

When to use: Use when your site is in a coal mining area, on clay soils, or on sloping ground. The Coal Authority must be consulted in defined areas.
📜 NPPF ground conditions policy P2, Coal Authority Standing Advice
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Ecology

EcIA methodology screening — habitat assessment, protected species triggers (bats, newts, badgers, reptiles), and BNG calculation requirements.

When to use: Use for any development that affects vegetation, trees, buildings with potential bat roosts, or land near water. Most applications need at least a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal.
📜 NPPF Section 15, Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981
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BNG Calculator

Biodiversity Net Gain assessment using DEFRA Metric 4.0 — habitat units, 10% mandatory gain, statutory credit costs, and exemption checking.

When to use: Required for most planning applications since February 2024. Mandatory 10% BNG applies unless your project is exempt (e.g. householder, self-build under thresholds).
📜 Environment Act 2021, DEFRA Metric 4.0
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Trees

BS 5837:2012 tree categorisation (A/B/C/U), Root Protection Area calculation, TPO checking, and replanting ratio guidance.

When to use: Use when there are trees on or near your site. A tree survey is often a validation requirement. TPO trees need consent for any works.
📜 BS 5837:2012, Town & Country Planning (Tree Preservation) Regs 2012
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Heritage

Heritage Impact Assessment wizard — significance assessment, impact analysis, harm level determination, and public benefit test under NPPF heritage policies HE5-HE7.

When to use: Use when your site is within or near a conservation area, listed building, scheduled monument, or registered park/garden.
📜 NPPF Section 16, Planning (Listed Buildings) Act 1990
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Archaeology

Archaeological risk screening — HER records check, period assessment, investigation requirements, and desk-based assessment triggers.

When to use: Use when your site is in an Archaeological Priority Area, near known heritage assets, or involves significant groundworks in historically sensitive areas.
📜 NPPF heritage policies HE5-HE7
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Landscape

GLVIA3 landscape and visual impact methodology — character assessment, magnitude scoring, AONB/National Landscape and Green Belt sensitivity.

When to use: Use when your site is in or near an AONB (National Landscape), Green Belt, or open countryside where landscape impact is likely to be an issue.
📜 NPPF natural environment policies N4-N5, GLVIA3
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Townscape & Visual New

GLVIA3 townscape and visual impact assessment — sensitivity/magnitude matrix, per-viewpoint analysis, materials compatibility, height-to-context ratio, and generated assessment text.

When to use: Use when your development could affect the visual amenity of an area — taller buildings, conservation area settings, open countryside, or sites visible from public viewpoints.
📜 NPPF design policies DP1-DP4, GLVIA3, National Design Guide
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Noise

BS 4142 and BS 8233 noise screening — industrial/commercial source assessment, ProPG residential guidance, and character corrections.

When to use: Use when your site is near roads, railways, airports, industrial premises, or when your proposal generates noise (e.g. plant, extraction, events).
📜 NPPF living conditions policy P3, BS 4142:2014, BS 8233:2014
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Air Quality

IAQM/EPUK screening for NO₂ and PM2.5 exposure, DEFRA damage costs, AQMA context, construction dust risk, and mitigation requirements.

When to use: Use when your site is in or near an Air Quality Management Area, on a busy road, or when your development generates significant traffic or emissions.
📜 NPPF living conditions policy P3, IAQM/EPUK Guidance
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Transport

Multi-modal transport analysis — trip generation, accessibility scoring, highway safety, parking demand, and Travel Plan requirements.

When to use: Use for major development, or any scheme where access, parking, or traffic impact is likely to be a planning issue.
📜 NPPF Section 9, DfT Guidance on Transport Assessments
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Highways Sight Lines

Visibility splay calculator — X/Y sight-line distances for a new or altered access using Manual for Streets / DMRB stopping-sight-distance methodology.

When to use: Use whenever you propose a new or altered vehicular access onto the public highway, or change the use intensity of an existing one.
📜 Manual for Streets, DMRB CD 123
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Constraints

Composite constraint scoring — checks Green Belt, heritage, ecology, flood, Article 4, settlement boundaries, and other designation overlaps in one pass.

When to use: Use at the very start of a project to get a quick overview of all constraints affecting your site before diving into individual assessments.
📜 Multiple — cross-references all relevant NPPF sections
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Constraint Severity Index

Composite severity scoring of site constraints — how Green Belt, heritage, ecology, flooding and other designations stack up into an overall difficulty rating.

When to use: Use after the constraint check to understand how much the combined designations raise the bar for your application.
📜 Multiple — cross-references all relevant NPPF sections
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Land Contamination Assessment

Detailed land contamination assessment — historic land uses, source-pathway-receptor screening, and what investigation the LPA will expect.

When to use: Use for a fuller assessment when the Contamination screen flags risk, or when the site has known industrial or agricultural history.
📜 NPPF ground conditions policy P2, Part 2A EPA 1990
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Ecology & Species Checklist

Protected species and habitat checklist — bats, newts, badgers, nesting birds, and the surveys each trigger requires.

When to use: Use alongside the Ecology screen to work through each protected species trigger and confirm which surveys you need before validation.
📜 NPPF Section 15, Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981
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Tree Survey Guide

Guide to BS 5837 tree surveys — what a survey covers, category grading, Root Protection Areas, and what to give your arboriculturalist.

When to use: Use when the Trees tool says a survey is needed and you want to understand or commission one.
📜 BS 5837:2012
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Heritage Impact Screening

Heritage significance and impact screening — designated and non-designated assets, setting, and the level of assessment the LPA will expect.

When to use: Use for a fuller significance assessment when the Heritage tool flags listed buildings or a conservation area near your site.
📜 NPPF Section 16, Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
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Air Quality Assessment

Detailed air quality assessment — AQMA proximity, exposure and emissions screening, and when a full assessment is required.

When to use: Use for a fuller assessment when the Air Quality screen flags an AQMA or a busy road near your site.
📜 NPPF living conditions policy P3, Environment Act 1995 Part IV
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Boundary Studio

Draw your site boundary on a map, check constraints against the drawn area, and export the red-line plan.

When to use: Use to produce or sanity-check your red-line boundary and see which constraints the drawn site actually touches.
📜 Location plan validation requirements
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