Consideration of Comments Received On Planning Applications
Material Considerations
It is important to realise that an application cannot be refused simply because a lot of people object to it or approved simply because a lot of people are in favour of it. Local views are one consideration to be set alongside other planning issues. We can only consider objections or letters of support which are relevant to planning issues. These are known as material considerations.
These can include for example, the effect of the proposal on traffic and parking; the appearance of the area; the impact on a conservation area or the setting or character of a listed building; loss of significant landscape features; noise and disturbance; effect of cooking odours on neighbouring property; loss of daylight or sunlight; overshadowing or adverse effect on the privacy of neighbours.
We cannot take into account other matters which are not relevant to planning – these are called non-material considerations.
Non-material Considerations
These include such matters as the loss of a private view, the effect the development might have on property values, or matters dealt with under Building Regulations or other legislation.
The Council will not consider letters of comment which include racist remarks or personal attacks on the applicant, agent, other members of the public or those determining the application.
The writer will be advised of the authority’s concerns so that the comments might be amended and the matter may be referred to the Police.
Your comments cannot be treated as confidential.
It may be necessary to make them available to the applicant/agent to resolve matters of concern. Material which forms part of an application and on which the final decision is based must also be available by law for public inspection. All representations may be made available on the Council website with any personal information redacted to comply with the Data Protection Act. This will include any individual signatures, personal e-mail addresses and personal telephone numbers. We do not redact your address as this is relevant to the consideration of your comments, where you are a neighbour to the development site.