Publicity Requirements For Planning Applications
The council must publicise your application and take relevant comments into account, because the service the Council gives to someone who might be affected by a development proposal is just as important as that which you receive when you apply for planning permission. The Council’s Statutory Register contains all details of current planning applications and past decisions. It is available for inspection at Planning Reception by the public during office hours.
Whilst the statutory requirement is that only certain types of development should receive full publicity, the Council ensure that the maximum publicity is given to all applications. The Council will therefore take the following action to publicise planning applications.
Newspaper Advertisements
All new applications will be advertised weekly in the Local Press. The list will give the date by which comments should be received.
Neighbour Notifications
The Council has a policy of notifying neighbouring properties of the submission of an application. Notifications are sent to the occupier of a property according to the allocating officer’s assessment of who may be affected by the development. Additionally, further notification may be carried out following the case officer’s visit.
Application Fees
Fees are set by central government and are payable for most applications, charged in accordance with the fee regulations 2008. The fee is designed to assist the council to meet the cost of administering the development control service. The amount of fee varies with the type of application & is not repayable in the event an application is withdrawn or refused. Applications for listed building consent, conservation area consent and some resubmissions do not require a fee. Details are on the Council website.
Site Notices
If the application relates to a Listed Building or is within a Conservation Area a site notice will be put up by the case officer. In all other cases the applicant will be requested to put up a site notice. The case officer will also put up a site notice where no neighbouring properties have been notified.
Making Comments
All site notices and newspaper advertisements will give 21 days for interested parties to make written comments. Fuller details of your Councils policy on publicity for planning applications are available at the Planning Reception.
Sometimes the applicant will want to change the details of the proposal after it has been publicised. When this happens the Council does not have to publicise the changes. But if there are a lot of, or significant, changes the Council may tell people who have been previously notified of the application, people who have already commented on the application, or anyone else whom the case officer considers might be affected by the revised proposals. If this is done the Council will usually allow 14 days for people to comment.
Conditions
In some cases the Council will grant planning permission but will include some conditions which the applicant is required to meet. The decision letter will explain any conditions and why they are necessary.
Conditions might require that certain details of the development need to be agreed with the Council before work starts. Where these details are straightforward Council’s will aim to decide whether the proposals are suitable within 15 working days of receiving them
The Decision
Approximately 90% of the decisions made on planning applications are delegated to Council officers for decision. The others are considered by the relevant Development Management Committee, which normally meet every four weeks in public. The dates for these meetings are advertised, and the Council encourages public involvement in the planning process. Council’s provide the public with the opportunity to speak at the Committees meetings when planning applications are being decided.
This right to speak is available to Parish and Neighbourhood Councils, objectors, and applicants or their agents and supporters. (Further information on public speaking is provided In a free leaflet entitled Public Involvement in Planning – The Opportunity to Speak at Meetings, available from the Council). After discussing the applications, Members of the Committee make a decision based on the planning officers recommendations. The applicant and members of the public can see the papers that will be shown to the Committee in relation to an application, unless the Committee decides that some information is confidential. The papers will be available with the Committee’s Agenda from the Council.
If planning permission is granted, you will normally have to start work within 3 years. The Council can set a longer or shorter time limit if appropriate, and will explain reasons on the decision notice. If the development is not started within this time limit, it will be necessary to re-apply for permission before the end of the time limit.