Planning Inspectors - Workspace guidelines for Home Based Inspectors

The objective is to provide an environment in which you can work safely, efficiently and in comfort. This should be a separate, quiet space where there is no disruption from the rest of the household. The space ought to be well lit (naturally or artificially), free from undue noise and should have adequate ventilation and heating.

There should be space for at least the following:

Furniture and equipment

• Desks 1600mm x 800mm and 1200mm x 800mm, preferably arranged in an L-shaped formation for ease of use.
• VDU, keyboard, printer and telephone (with answering machine where appropriate).
• Drawers for the storage of stationery (pens, paper, forms, etc.).
• A chair
• A wastepaper bin.

Working surfaces

There should be sufficient unencumbered working surfaces, say 1200mm x 800mm, to allow working with plans, documents and other material.

Storage

There should be adequate storage including up to 4m of shelving (or the equivalent in other forms of storage) for current work files, general background information, such as the Inspectors' and Planning Handbooks, Acts of Parliament, government circulars, statutory instruments, professional reference books and archive material.

The storage for current work and background information should be within the working area. Special arrangements can be made if you are dealing with a case involving a large number of documents, such as a local plan, or one that needs substantial archive storage.

As your career progresses you are likely to find that you require additional storage/working space. However, the increasing use of electronic storage media may counter balance the growing requirement for space.

General

There must be easy access to and between all the items of equipment and storage, switches and sockets, sources of ventilation, lighting and heating and means of escape. There should be sufficient unoccupied space to allow adequate freedom of movement within the work space.

As a guide, a minimum area of about 2.5m x 2.6m should be sufficient to accommodate all these items. However, factors such as the position of doors, windows, sockets and heat sources and the shape of the room are all likely to have a bearing on the space needed. The Inspectorate has its own Helpdesk which advises Inspectors on such matters as room layout and the location of power and telephone points.

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