This Board considers all
non-delegated applications and delegated applications that have
been referred to it because of objections. The Board consists
of 15 District Councillors and normally meets on the last
Thursday of each month starting at 9.15am. Procedures have
also been introduced to allow oral representations to be made to
the Planning Board by applicants, residents and the local
Parish/Town Council. A leaflet explaining these procedures is
available by using the following link.
The report of the planning officer will have been sent to all
members of the Board at least 5 working days before the
meeting. The report will normally contain a summary of any
supporting letter, statement or information that you may have
submitted with your application. The officer will present the
written report and any late information or comments will be
reported verbally. In addition your plans will normally be
illustrated to Board and in some cases photographs of the site and
surroundings may be used. Letters of objection (or support)
from neighbours are also made available for members to read before
the meeting. The officers´ reports can be inspected at the council
offices.
Public Speaking on
Planning Applications
Representations on Planning
Board
The following information
explains the procedures and guidance for Public
Speaking.
This opportunity is extended to
local residents, representatives of amenity societies, the Parish
or Town Council, and the applicant (or a representative on their
behalf), on any planning application that is considered by the
Planning Board.
'Local Resident' means one
normally residing in the Parish/Town Council area within which the
application site is situated.
It does not extend to Planning
applications that are delegated for decision to the
Development Control Manager. However, under certain
circumstances a ‘delegated’ application may be referred to the
Planning Board for decision, and speaking rights will apply to
these applications.
As a local resident you may speak
at the Planning Board, but only where you have previously made
written representations on a Planning application, and on
receiving an invitation from the Development Control Manager,
you have given prior notice of your wish to speak.
If as a local resident you are unable to attend the meeting, you
may appoint another family member or friend to speak on your
behalf. The scheme does not permit you to be represented by,
for example, a solicitor, planning agent, or other technical
specialist.
What happens at the
Planning Board
The Planning Board meets at
9.15am on the last Thursday of the month in the Council Chamber,
Westport House, Wareham.
Planning applications are
considered by the board, in the order published on the agenda
papers. Not all applications are subject to public speaking,
and the particular application you are interested in may be at the
end of the agenda.
Nevertheless you should ensure you are at the meeting for the
9.15am start.
A list of applications and those
who have indicated they wish to speak will be published on the
morning of the meeting, and copies made available in the council
chamber.
The Chairman of the Planning
Board will introduce each application in turn and ask for a short
presentation from the Planning Officer. This will be followed
by any public speaking.
For each application the order of
speaking will be local residents, any amenity society, followed by
Parish/Town Council representative and finally the applicant, or
applicant’s representative. The Chairman will call in turn
those wishing to speak. You will be asked to come forward and
speak from a lectern at the front of the Council
Chamber.
The Chairman may then ask the
Planning Officer to comment on any issues that have been
raised.
Councillors will then debate and
consider the Planning Application. On a proposal from a
Councillor, the Planning Board will vote, and come to a decision on
the application.
Where a decision on a planning
application is deferred to enable the Planning Board to visit the
site, there will be a further opportunity to speak at that site
visit. A decision will not be made at this time, but at the
meeting of the Planning Board a week later - there will be no
further opportunity to speak at this meeting of the board.
The minutes of the planning board
will include a list of those speaking on each application and a
brief summary of the matters raised.
Local residents who have made
written representations, or who have spoken at the Planning Board,
will be advised in writing of the decision of the Planning Board,
when a decision notice is issued to the
applicant.
Guidance for speakers
Your representations should be
confined to Planning issues which the Planning Board can take into
account such as;
- Traffic generation
- Over-looking
- Loss of trees
- The scale of development
- Design, or impact on the character
of the area.
The Board cannot take into account
issues such as;
- Covenants on land
- Loss of value of a
property
- Loss of a private view
- Neighbour’s or applicant’s
behaviour.
Also please be aware that you will
not be able to;
- Raise questions or engage in
debate with any of the other speakers, Councillors or Officers
present at the meeting.
- Support your presentation by the
use or distribution of photographs, maps, plans, videa or other
recorded images / sounds.
You will be allowed a maximum of 3
minutes to make your presentation. Where there is a number of
local residents wishing to make representations, we ask that you
try to appoint one or two spokespersons to speak on their
behalf. If this is the case there may be the opportunity
to marginally overrun the 3 minutes. Please telephone to
discuss.
Thinking about
speaking at the Planning Board?
If you have any further questions about speaking at Planning
Board, please contact the Development Control Office
Administrator either by telephone on;
Tel. 01929 557206
Or by e mail;
planning@purbeck-dc.gov.uk
Links: