PLANNING INFORMATION: THE PROCESS
Planning applications are formally listed on the Rugby Borough Council planning portal: https://planning.agileapplications.co.uk/rugby/search-applications/.
Parish Councils are statutory consultees in the planning process and must be informed of all planning applications within the Parish, as well as of any amendments to those applications. The Parish Council can comment on these planning applications in the same way as any other member of the public.
Any comments offered by the Parish Council must be agreed during a properly called public Parish Council Meeting. Members of the public attending the meeting can comment, speak in support of or object to any application during the ‘Open Forum’ segment of the meeting, but not during the Parish Council’s deliberations. However, they may be asked to provide clarity on details of the application during the PC’s deliberations at the invitation of the person chairing the meeting.
The Parish Council is only a consultee and counts as one opinion. Without advice from residents of the Parish the members of the Parish Council will give their own opinions. The Parish Council can and will seek the views of residents of the Parish, particularly in controversial cases, and will reflect such local feeling during the deliberation process. However, should there be widespread objection or support for a proposal, the Parish Council will always urge members of the public to send their own individually written letters or e-mails direct to the planning authority. We would also suggest writing these in your own words, rather than copying a circular message.
The options for the Parish Council response are:
- No Comment
- No Objection
- Actively Support
- Objections – with statement of reasons
For most minor applications (e.g., extension of existing property) it would be typical for the Parish Council to offer “No Objection”. The “Actively Support” option is generally reserved for proposals to develop a community asset or that will benefit the community as a whole, and is highly unlikely to be exercised in relation to a proposal for development or adaptation of a private dwelling.
For more significant applications it is likely that the Parish Council will want certain specific comments or concerns to be considered. When the Parish Council take the decision to either support or object to an application it is broadly doing so because it thinks that the impact on the Parish is significant, and the case is worth making. The Parish Council comments will only be made on valid planning grounds, known as material considerations (see below).
Most applications are decided by the Planning Officer, but significant applications, or those where a number of objections are received, are referred to the Borough Council Planning Committee. It is the Borough Council that makes the decision to approve or reject an application, NOT the Parish Council. If the decision goes against the applicant, they have the right of appeal, and the application will be decided by a planning inspector.
For more on Rugby Borough Council’s planning process, see here: https://www.rugby.gov.uk/w/have-your-say-on-a-planning-application#public-consultations-on-planning-applications.
To search for a specific application, see here: Planning Application Search
PLANNING INFORMATION: MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS
All comments on planning applications must be based on material planning considerations. When determining a planning application, the Borough Council can only take material considerations into account.
Non-material considerations, such as loss of property value, private issues between neighbours and opposition to business competition, cannot be considered.
Material considerations can include:
| Overlooking/loss of privacy | Layout and density of building |
| Loss of light or overshadowing | Design, appearance and materials |
| Parking | Government policy |
| Highway safety | Disabled access |
| Traffic | Noise |
| Impact on listed building/conservation area | Previous planning decisions |