Home >> council >> departments >> devcontrol14/10/2008 08:06:05

Advice on how to comment about a Planning Application

The Council and Public Opinion

Fareham Borough Council welcomes the public’s views, routinely notifies the immediate neighbours of any planning application and often publicises applications more widely in the local area. If you write to us about a planning application which will be decided by the Council’s Development Control Committee then we will write to let you know when the Committee meeting is due to occur so that you can attend the meeting if you wish. When we have notified you of the Committee date and, if you make arrangements to do so in advance, then you can explain your views to the Committee personally – along with others who wish to speak for or against the application. In due course, and if you have written to us about an application, then we will let you know when it has been granted or refused planning permission.

 

The Council’s published “Vision, Values and Objectives” for the future of services in Fareham places a high priority on consulting with the public about the Council’s services, including planning matters.

 

The Council consult as widely as possible when formulating new policies and every few months hold “user group” meetings with the public to discuss ways of improving the planning service and future policies. (If you would like to attend future meetings please contact the planning department at devcontrol@fareham.gov.uk).  While we also consult the public on each and every planning application, having reflected public opinion when formulating planning policies, it is those policies which will lead decisions on planning applications in the first instance.

How Does The Council Decide a Planning Application?

Elected Councillors and the Council’s officers make decisions for the community of Fareham Borough as a whole. The decision on any planning application is always made within a strict legal framework in light of published planning policy, and is guided by the following points.

 

  • Planning control can only be exercised in the public interest.  As a private individual, your own interests and the “public interest” will often amount to the same thing. However, while it is clearly in the public interest that all new developments should be “neighbourly”, planning control can never be concerned with private matters such as land ownership, private boundaries, private covenants over land, the value of the proposed development to the applicant or developer, or protecting the market value of nearby houses.
  • Planning considerations can only refer to planning matters. These include the number, size, layout, siting, design and external appearance of buildings and the proposed means of access, landscaping, infrastructure and the impact on the neighbourhood. You can read further guidance on what can and cannot be considered as a valid planning consideration
  • The Fareham Borough Local Plan Review (FBLPR) reflects policies contained in the Hampshire County Structure Plan Review for the years 1996 - 2011. After a good deal of public consultation and involvement in its preparation, the FBLPR was adopted in March 2000 as the development plan for the Borough of Fareham. The policies of the FBLPR are intended to serve the interests of the Borough’s whole community, including future residents over time, rather than individual interests. A copy of the FBLPR can be inspected or purchased at the Civic Offices.
  • The law requires that the Council’s planning decisions must always be “plan led”, by planning policies which have been previously approved and published after consultation with the public. This prevents planning decisions being made in an add-hoc or arbitrary manner. In simple terms this means a bias in favour of carrying out development which is in accordance with the policies of the FBLPR – and a bias against development which is not in accordance with FBLPR policies – unless those policies are outweighed by other material planning considerations in favour of a proposal or against it.
  • The weighing of “other material planning considerations” is therefore very important in many cases. These include published government policy and previous planning appeal decisions which are relevant to the case being decided. Government planning policy relating to sustainability objectives is often controversial - such as providing for smaller households and social housing, increasing residential densities, or reduced levels of car parking to encourage more use of public transport. These policies are important planning considerations which have been published since adoption of the FBLPR in March 2000. This means that outside Conservation Areas and particularly sensitive locations, future development must often differ from the pattern of its earlier surroundings. Useful information and advice about the Government’s planning policies can be obtained through the Planning Portal website (this is an external hyperlink).

How you can play your part in an effective way:

  • Please take the time to examine the planning application, drawings and any supporting documents before writing to the Council. These documents are all available for inspection on the Internet by following the links.
  • All planning applications and other planning documents can also be inspected at the Civic Offices during normal working hours. A charge may be made for copying documents. On weekdays before 1.00 pm a duty planning officer is available to advise about applications being considered.
  • The Council have to decide planning applications within a set timescale. Please do not delay in writing to us. The last date for receipt of letters from the public is given in the letter or public notice informing you of the application. Although we shall be working on the application in the meanwhile, we shall not make any decision about the application until after that date, when we have considered any comments you send to us. The paragraph at the beginning of this note explains what will happen after you write.
  • When writing please remember that your letter will be available for other members of the public and the applicant to inspect and read at any time.
  • The Council receive a very large number of letters about planning applications each year. Due to the limited time which the law allows us for consulting the public, we do not enter into postal correspondence regarding planning applications. However, if you have a question about a planning application which you cannot answer for yourself by looking at the published documents, then please telephone or preferably email the case officer dealing with the application. They will be pleased to answer any questions. The case officer’s name is on the letter or public notice informing you about the application.

Please remember...  A single letter making just one important planning point can often be every bit as valuable as a well organised petition with numerous signatures. Although each and every planning application cannot be decided simply on the basis of public opinion, your views about a proposed development count, and the Council would like to hear from you.