Planning Committee.
This form must be completed by the instructing client and submitted to Architecture North to confirm your engagement.
Around 90% of all planning applications are decided by senior officers “in-house” under delegated powers unless an application is referred (or ‘called-in’) to a Planning Committee.
Applications can be ‘called in’ if one or more of the following apply, depending on the particular Council's rules:
Approval would be contrary to planning policy;
The application is notably large or controversial in nature;
There is an objection from a statutory consultee (eg; Drainage or Ecology etc);
The local Parish Council objection on valid planning grounds;
A member (Councillor) has requested the application goes to Committee; or
It is an application where the recommendation is contrary to that of a statutory undertaker, e.g. the Highways Authority.
Planning committees meet every 3-4 weeks and are made up of local councilors and different political groups.
Representations can be made to a committee by writing to members ahead of a meeting, or by speaking at it.
To find out who your local ward councilor is, you can find this out by Googling “Local Ward Councilor” followed by your District Council.
Written Representations:
The sooner you make formal contact with members in advance of the committee, the better.
Letters should be short (two or three pages) and address specific issues by the use of headings.
Meetings consider a number of different applications and Councillors must read all representations in advance, as well as the committee report itself which is drafted by qualified planning officers.
It is also recommended to copy any letter to the planning officer.
What to include in oral and written representations
Focus on planning points that may change a councilor’s opinion on a particular issue.
Simply relying on a long list of technical points may mean the critical issue is lost in the detail;
Focus on planning points that appeal to politicians, especially if you are asking them to go against a case officer’s recommendation; and
Clarity is important. Arguments should be made clear so they can easily be followed by someone who has read the committee report.
Remember, Committee members are not usually Professional Town Planners or Architects.
Points to avoid
Councilors are elected to make decisions.
Do not simply assume they will follow the officer’s recommendation contained in the report;
This is not the time for attacking the competence, honesty, or integrity of the officers.
Instances of the latter two matters are extremely rare and you will likely undermine the better points you have made.
All other dealings with committee members before a meeting should be handled with care. Councilors should avoid giving the impression that they are committed to one side before determining an application (this is called “pre-determined”). The authority will usually have a planning code of conduct that guides such dealings.
However, one must also remember that “having your say” is not the same as “having your way”; all you can do is put your case forward as clearly as possible.
Architecture North Ltd can assist you in drafting letters and speeches for planning committees, as well as attending them online or in person.
Please contact us for more details and our fees.
Please Note: We need at least 10 working days from the date of your submission to your Committee date to ensure that we develop your project to the best level of service.
If you miss the deadline within that timeframe, we will formally request an additional Extension of Time (EOT) to your case officer, which will result in your committee date being pushed back further to allow us to develop your project as per your submission request.
We will commence on your project assessments and project statements, once payment has been received.
For more information please refer to our contracts.
Speaking at committee:
Each council will publish its own advice on speaking arrangements.
Representations will either be provided to you in advance, or will be on the council's website (in the “democratic services” department, not the planning department).
It is vital to be aware of all the protocols, as well as to register your attendance in advance of the meeting, usually by email.
There are time limits for speaking (typically 3-5 minutes) which are often ruthlessly enforced!
So it is sensible to be prepared and for the speech to be fully scripted and printed out in a large font in advance.
It is also recommended to rehearse the speech in full, at least three or four times against the clock before the meeting.
As with the Consultant team, working for the applicant, some Councils allow for cross-examination of speakers so be prepared to clarify any points in follow-up questions.
Speakers on the same side should coordinate their submissions to make the best use of the allotted time.
If a letter has been sent to the committee members there is no point in regurgitating it, instead, you may wish to make the same point in a different way or address points made by other speakers before you.
Another approach is to leave the last 20 or 30 seconds of your speech open to respond directly to any points raised by previous speakers.
After Covid-19 Pandemic Planning Committee meetings are taking place over online platforms like “Zoom or Teams, etc” (or similar software).
It is important to ensure that you have the latest versions downloaded and you turn on your computer at least an hour in advance so that any automatic software updates.
Also, have a glass of water (or vodka) to hand…
On a practical level if your broadband is less than 10 MB then you are advised to make sure other family members are not streaming, gaming, uploading, or using social media as this will erode the quality of your transmission.
It is also important to think carefully about who is the best place to speak.
Normally the choice will be between the applicant/objector, the planning consultant, or the architect.
Who is chosen will often depend upon individuals’ own skills and preferences, as well as the decisive issues in the case.
Professional advice or highlighting a hard issue of law will be more effective than a heartfelt plea.
Examples of our 3D Renders you can expect for your Project.
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