Parish Council – Planning & How It Works

Plans submitted to the Newcastle Planning office are scrutinised in the office and allocated a number and a Case Officer. Near neighbours are advised of the plan and that the plan is available for inspection in the Planning Office. It should be noted that only neighbours with clearly adjacent addresses are circulated. It should also be noted that notices for developments of small scale, are no longer posted. A copy of the plan and a request for comments is sent to the Parish Council. Both Council and Neighbours are given three weeks to reply or in default agreement is assumed.

When received by the Parish Council, the plans are recorded by the clerk and passed to the Councillor who has assumed an interest in the area of the development. The Councillor goes to see the site advises the neighbours of the project, and this visit may well be the first that the neighbour has heard of the project. The neighbour usually has the opportunity to see the plans and state an opinion. He/She is advised that if there are objections to the proposal he/she must write to the Planning Office within the allocated time. The Councillor then reports to the Parish Council and a considered report is sent to the Planning Office. When received, opinions are considered and on the due date a decision to approve or reject is made, usually by the Case Officer. This decision is communicated to the applicant and then to the Parish Council.

This may seem an efficient and fair system. However there are drawbacks.

1. Projects of "national importance" may do much as they like.
2. It might be thought that it is enough to tell feelings to the Parish Councillor who after all is a local person with some experience of planning matters. The Parish Council also has experience of the locality and what is appropriate for the parish and should be able to represent the local opinion.
3. The Parish Council attempts to act in this way, but their report is taken as just one of all the opinions on the matter. It is a sad fact that it is number of envelopes received in each case that is taken as decisive.
4. Worse! It is common practice for developers to make an application to gauge the public view. If there is opposition, the plan is withdrawn and slight modifications are made. It is then re-submitted any number of times until the public are so fed up with the matter that they cease to write letters and the proposal are passed because of Public disinterest.

The Parish Council feels that this procedure is arbitrary and against natural justice. We therefore publicise this matter among our electorate to warn them of threats to their way of life. We also feel that as guardians of the local interest with some experience of planning matters, our deliberated opinion should be taken with some respect and that also feel that a decision contrary to their recommendation should be referred to them with reasons before the decision is announced.

Remember that local people are much more likely to understand and look after local matters, particularly when discussion of recommendations may be attended by the Public and is not completed behind closed doors.