Home >> council >> departments >> devcontrol02/09/2010 17:12:44

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. Here is help with how to comment (222 Kb) This document is in PDF format and the kind of things the Council can take into account.  If you write to us about a planning application that is to be decided by the Council’s Development Control Committee, we will acknowledge your letter, 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 make a deputation in advance, you can explain your views to the Committee personally, along with others who wish to speak for or against the application. In due course, we will let you know when cases you have commented on have 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 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 Regulatory Services department, Development Control: email devcontrol@fareham.gov.uk).  Whilst we also consult the public on every planning application, having reflected public opinion when formulating planning policies, it is those policies which will be prime in making decisions on planning applications.

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)(1.4Mb) This document is in PDF format  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 by going to Planning applications online and 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 comments on planning applicatinos from the public is given at planning applications online and in the letter or public notice informing you of the application. Although we shall be working on the application in the meanwhile, we will 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 at any time.
  • The Council receive a very large number of letters about planning applications each year. Owing 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. Find out the case officer’s name online or 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.

 

Use of your information

The Council has a duty to make all written comments received available for public inspection. When writing, please deal with the issues of the application and not other personal matters, because all comments can be inspected at the Civic Offices.

 

The Council’s web site will show the addresses of all those we have notified, including your own, as well as of all who have commented on the application. However, other personal details - your telephone number, signature and email address - will not be published.  

 

Get in touch

If in doubt please email planningadvice@fareham.gov.uk, send a fax to 01329 821500, telephone 01329 236100 or write to Development Control, Regulatory Services, Civic Offices, Civic Way, Fareham, PO16 7AZ