Planning issues
What you can talk about
The committee can only take account of planning matters.
These are many and varied and there is no exhaustive list. They have to be to do with matters of public interest not private interest, and with the particular planning application being considered. They include -
- planning policies
- the Local Plan 2016 to 2032 and other approved council plans and policies
- government guidance notes and circulars
- the consequences of development
- the effects on the enjoyment of a house or on the amenities of an area. For example -
- noise
- disturbance
- smell
- loss of light
- traffic
- job creation
- design
- effects on road safety, including the need for parking and servicing
- the alternatives to permission
- the existing use of a site, and previous planning decisions affecting it
- what conditions could be imposed to make the development acceptable
They do not include -
- private issues
- boundary disputes between neighbours, which are for them to resolve
- covenants or deeds, which the council is not a party to, and therefore has no role in
- trade and increased competition objections from existing businesses. The planning system provides for choice and competition
- alleged loss of value of property
- opinions of need
- that there are enough takeaways, pubs, amusement arcades, petrol filling stations, for example, in the area already from a trade point of view
- procedures
- development having begun already. This has no bearing on the final merits of a planning proposal, and is specifically allowed for by the Act
- other consents such as -
- licences
- Building Regulation Approval have not been obtained
- these have no bearing on the planning issues