Essentially, this is an opportunity for you to explain or expand upon the issues raised by your application or written comments. It is not a debate and you will not be interrupted. You should use the time to draw the councillors’ attention to planning matters that you feel should influence their decision, such as:
- highways and traffic;
- amenity and character;
- conservation;
wildlife and environment;
- disabled access;
- local, regional and national planning policy;
privacy;
- pollution; and
- historic assets.
You will not be able to hand out or discuss additional material, such as photographs or plans.
We recognise that planning applications can sometimes be surrounded by other issues and disagreements that can be frustrating and upsetting for all involved. However, if they are not planning matters, they cannot affect our decision and the planning process is not designed to resolve them, so it will not help to mention them at the committee meeting. Examples include:
- personal disputes;
- the motives, morals or conduct of the applicant(s); land ownership issues;
- views over land owned by others;
- the effect on property values; and
- rights, covenants and agreements under civil law.