COMMENTING ON PLANNING
APPLICATIONS AND PUBLIC SPEAKING AT PLANNING COMMITTEE
Updated Planning Procedure
specifically for the determination of the Western Growth Corridor
Planning Application on 12 January 2022 (As approved by Council on
16 December 2021:
-
the number of people permitted to speak either objecting to
or in support of the application has been extended from one to five
in each case.
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the deadlines for registering to speak, including ward
councillors, and for information to be included in the
‘Update Sheet’ is 4.00 pm five clear working days prior
to the meeting (4 January 2022).
All other existing provisions, as
set out in the Prohibity in Planning: Code of
Practice, as detailed in Part 5 of the Council’s
Constitution, will apply.
1.
YOUR CHANCE TO COMMENT
Finding out what members of the
public think about new development and planning applications, is a
fundamental part of the Development Control
Service. The City Council aims to consult as
widely as possible, in order that the views and opinions of local
citizens can be considered when the City Council is determining
whether planning permission should be granted or not.
In addition to consulting the
general public, the City Council also has a responsibility to
consult a range of statutory consultees. These
can include:
Highway Authority
Environment Agency
English Heritage
Anglian Water
Anyone can comment on a planning
application. The plans and other information
submitted as part of the application are available to be viewed at
the reception of the Planning Department in City Hall.
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You can comment in writing, by e-mail, by fax or on audio
cassette tape. We cannot accept formal comments
over the telephone as they could be misinterpreted.
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There will always be an officer to help you at Planning
Reception, but if you need to speak to a Planning Officer you may
need to make an appointment.
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You may also wish to discuss your concern with your Ward
Councillor, who may wish to support your objection in
writing.
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If you are genuinely unable to come and see the application
e.g. you are unwell or infirm, contact the Planning Officer who
will be able to send you the plans or visit you.
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We will disregard any objections and comments containing
racial abuse or racist views or defamatory comments.
Relevant Comments
When making decisions on planning
applications, the Council can only take into account relevant
planning matters.
These include whether:
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The proposed use is a suitable one for the area.
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The appearance and size of the new building is in keeping
with the surrounding area.
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The external alterations are in character with the existing
property
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Adjoining properties will be overshadowed or overlooked, or
will suffer a loss of privacy.
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There will be any increase in noise and disturbance e.g. from
extra traffic or other activities (but not associated with the
construction works).
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There is adequate car parking.
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The new roads and access are safe for road users and
pedestrians.
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Any advertisement would be too brightly lit or out of scale
with its surroundings.
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The proposal accords with planning policies contained within
the City of Lincoln Local Plan.
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The proposal takes proper account of the effect on
established trees which have amenity value within the
site.
We cannot take into
account:
Ò
Loss of your view.
Ò
Boundary and other disputes between
neighbours.
Ò
Loss of trade from individual competing
companies.
Ò
Loss of value to your property.
Ò
Moral objections e.g. to betting shops or
amusement arcades.
All relevant comments will be
taken into account when reaching a decision on a planning
application and will be recorded on the planning application file
(which is a public document available for anyone to look
at).
Delegation
Not all applications are
considered at Committee. Only those where:
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the application is recommended to be granted and objections
have been received
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Councillor asks for the application to be considered at
Committee
-
the decision is finely balanced
The same criteria will apply to
those applications which have a request for someone to speak on
them. Therefore a request to speak will not necessarily guarantee
that the application is considered at Committee.
2.
PROCEDURES
AT COMMITTEES
We support public debate about
planning applications and allow for the principle that people may
be better able to communicate their views if they are not limited
to making comments in writing. For those
applications considered at Committee, public speaking allows those
directly affected by the planning process a chance to have their
say.
The remainder of this leaflet
answers a number of basic questions about how the system for public
speaking at Planning Committee works at the City of Lincoln
Council.
Who can speak?
A member of the public or their
spokesperson who wishes to object to or support an application will
be given an opportunity to do so providing the arrangements set out
below are complied with. An applicant or agent
appointed to deal with the application will be given the
opportunity to reply to an objector’s
presentation.
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Public speaking will only be permitted where you are the
applicant or agent or your comments have previously been submitted
in writing within the consultation period (or in another approved
form – see above) and the procedure for registering to speak
has been complied with.
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The Democratic Services Officer must be notified by 4pm on
the Tuesday immediately preceding the Committee meeting in either
writing, e-mail, fax or by telephone. You must
leave your name, address, a daytime contact number and details of
the application. You must also indicate what
your interest in the application is.
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The number of people permitted to speak will be limited to
one from each side (i.e. either in objection or
support). Where several people wish to speak on
an application, the Chair will require that a spokesperson be
appointed to represent the issues of the supporters or objectors as
the case may be.
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If a member of the public speaks in support of an application
or is objecting to an application, the Chair shall allow one member
of the public a right to reply even if that member of the public
has not given prior notice of their right to speak.
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No member of the public will be permitted to speak for longer
than 5 minutes. Those people addressing the
Committee will be advised when they have 30 seconds of their
allotted five minutes remaining. They will have
to cease talking immediately on being advised that the five minutes
are up.
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No member of the public shall distribute any photographs or
other documentation at the committee meeting or raise any new
issues.
If consideration of the
application is deferred for any reason members of the public
wishing to speak will be able to do so either at the meeting when
the proposal is first considered or at the meeting following the
deferral, or both.
Any
Councillor may speak at Committee on behalf of the community either
in support of a proposed development, objecting to it or, indeed
setting out both points of view. They may then
not be involved in voting for or against the
proposal. These speakers will also not be
permitted to speak for longer than 5 minutes.
3. ORDER OF BUSINESS
The Chair will open the meeting
and invite Councillors to declare if they have an
“interest” in any item on the
agenda. The order set out in the written agenda
will be followed as far as practicable but efforts to accommodate
applications with speakers present will be taken.
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The Chair will introduce each item and advise the meeting of
the recommendation.
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The Planning Officer will advise the meeting of any new
relevant information and then the Chair will invite the speakers
(including members) to present their views.
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The Committee will then consider the application and ask
questions of the Planning Officer who will be allowed to make
concluding remarks.
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The Committee will then vote on any proposition or amendment
which is moved and seconded. The Chair will
clearly communicate the decision to committee members, members of
the public and others present, i.e. the press.
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Members of the Committee will not speak or vote on any matter
on which oral representations have been received from or on behalf
of the applicant or any member of the public unless they have been
present throughout the presentation of all such
representations.
To register your intention to
speak at committee you must contact the Democratic Services Officer
on:
Tel: (01522)
873370
e-mail:
democratic.services@lincoln.gov.uk