The city council welcomes the views of the public which should be sent to the department either by using the online comment facility via PublicAccess or email (contact details below).
A decision will be made on the application after the date shown in the notification letter/site notice/public notice in the local press.
Comments can only be taken into account if they are made in writing. We ask you to provide your name and postal address for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to:
- Case officers need to be able to understand the relationship between your address and the application site as this helps inform comments that are made and, potentially, the weight to give the representation.
- If the author of the representation is nearby, the case officer may wish to contact you to discuss the scheme to obtain a better understanding of the representation.
- The total number of objections received affects whether an application is determined by the Planning Committee under the council’s Constitution. Multiple objections from the same address are counted as a single objection for the purposes of this total. Consequently, if you do not provide your name and full address, we will be unable to count your representation towards this total.
Comments which do not provide any form of identification (a name or address) will be treated as anonymous and your views will not be taken into account by the planning officer.
All other written comments which raise relevant planning issues – see below – will be taken into consideration in determining the application. Representations that do not provide either your name or your postal address will still be logged and published by the council on our website. However, the weight that will be attached to your comments may be reduced as a result.
Due to the volume of comments we receive on planning applications, the council is unable to acknowledge or enter into individual correspondence on specific applications.
Should you wish to address the planning committee on an application, you will need to register your intention to speak at the meeting. Only those parties who have registered their intention to speak at the Planning Committee will be notified by the council of the date and time of the relevant Committee.
Relevant issues
There is often some confusion about what the council can take into account when it considers comments on planning proposals. The council cannot reject a proposal simply because a lot of people are against it.
The council can only consider comments which are relevant to land use planning issues such as:
- Compliance with local plan policies and government guidance.
- The design of the development and its impact on the appearance of the surrounding area.
- The effect a development might have on the amenity of neighbours (this includes bulk, overbearing impact, loss of light, loss of privacy, noise or fumes.)
- Traffic and road safety.
Non planning issues
Sometimes the issues listed in this section come up. However, they are not planning issues and the council cannot normally take them into account. These issues include:
- the effect the development might have on property values
- the personal circumstances, the motives or the character of the applicant(s)
- ‘moral’ issues relating to the proposal
- private legal matters such as restrictive covenants or questions of ownership
- loss of view