Making a decision

Application Information

All planning applications are considered against both national and local policies. We will also consider comments from other departments and organisations, and relevant comments from any neighbours or members of the public received through the publicity and consultation process.  

The case officer will make a site visit to the judge the effect the proposal may have on the surrounding area. If they feel that very minor changes are appropriate, they will discuss these with you and may ask for revised drawings.  We are unable to deal with more than minor changes in this way and you may risk the application being refused. If these amendments are likely to require re-consultation they are not normally considered minor changes. It is therefore recommended that pre-application advice is sought prior to submission of a planning application in order that any issues can be discussed at an early stage prior to formal submission.  Further information can be found on the Council's pre-application procedure page. 

For larger applications, the case officer may find it necessary to request additional information on matters such as traffic and environmental impact. Where this is necessary, they will be happy to discuss details of what level of information is required.  

You can track the progress of your application and view the documents associated with it using Search and View.

Your decision  

A case officer will make a recommendation concerning your proposal, either to the Corporate Director of Place and Community under delegated powers or in a report for the Planning Committee to consider.

Planning Committee  

The Planning Committee is made up of elected Councillors. Your case officer will be able to tell you if your application is to be heard by Committee and, if so, an expected date. You can attend the meeting to listen to proceedings and if objectors are allowed to address the Committee you or your representative will be given an opportunity to respond. You will need to contact Member Services for further details. The Committee is open to the public.  

The decision notice  

After a decision is made, we will send you (or your agent) a formal decision notice stating whether permission has been granted or refused and include any conditions (and reasons) that are imposed. If your application is refused or you find any conditions unreasonable or unacceptable, you can lodge an appeal against our decision. 

Before implementing your development you may require further consents including Listed Building Consent and Building Regulations.