Planning Policy
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Adopted: 28 May 2024 Min Ref 24.118xv.
Sutton Bridge Parish Council has a right to be consulted on planning and development applications relating to the Parish. It is normally given 21 days to comment on applications. The local planning authority, South Holland District Council, has a duty to consider the views of the Parish Council when reaching a decision.
Details of all planning applications, with associated plans and documents are available on the District Council’s planning portal: https://planning.sholland.gov.uk/OcellaWeb/planningSearch
Aims of the Parish Council:
To actively seek to protect and enhance the character and appearance of the Parish; to seek to ensure that any development will be sympathetic to its surroundings; to increase, wherever practicable, employment and facilities for parishioners; to conserve wildlife, flora, and the countryside; to consider sustainability.
Policy
• Planning applications to be discussed at a Parish Council meeting will be included on the agenda, under the standing item ‘To consider planning matters’.
• In preparation for the meeting councillors are encouraged to review the documents relating to planning applications on the District Council’s planning portal.
• Parishioners may attend meetings and give their comments during the public forum.
• All councillors will abide by the Council’s Code of Conduct and must declare any personal and/or prejudicial interests that may preclude participation in discussion or voting.
• The Parish Council will conduct its business openly, fairly, and objectively. Each planning application will be judged on its merits. All responses will be based on material planning considerations (see appendix 1).
• Responses resolved on by the Parish Council will be recorded in the minutes.
• Where appropriate, and with permission if required, the Parish Council may undertake site visits to assist in formulating the Parish Council’s response.
• The Parish Council will report any breaches of planning control to the District Council.
If a deadline for a comment on a planning application is on or before the date of the next Parish Council meeting and the clerk is unable to agree a workable extension, the following procedure will apply:
• The clerk will inform councillors by email. A weblink to the application will be provided, and members will be invited to inform the clerk of their proposed responses to the application. To be considered, the clerk must receive councillors’ written responses within 7 days from the date of the email.
• In their response, councillors should clearly state whether they support, object to, wish to make a general comment, or wish to make no comment on the application. A request to support or object to an application must be accompanied with valid planning reasons (see appendix).
• In considering their response councillors may canvass the views of residents.
• Before the planning deadline, the clerk will determine the majority opinion of valid responses received and submit a formal comment on behalf of the Parish Council based on this majority view.
• If no clear majority view is received, then the clerk will submit a ‘no comment’ response.
• As soon as possible after submitting a comment to the planning authority, the clerk will inform councillors by email the details of that comment.
• Councillors are entitled to submit personal comments via the planning portal.
If a written request is made to the clerk, by two or more Council members, within 5 days of their notification of the matter, instead of submitting comments via email, an extraordinary meeting may be called to resolve on the application. Alternatively, the chair of the Council may call an extraordinary meeting at any time .
APPENDIX – MATERIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
(Source: Planning Aid England)
When a decision is made on a planning application, only certain issues are taken into account; these are often referred to as ‘material planning considerations’.
MATERIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS:
Issues that may be relevant to the decision
(There may exist further material planning considerations not included here)
• Local, strategic, national planning policies and policies in the Development Plan
• Emerging new plans, which have already been through at least one stage of public consultation
• Pre-application planning consultation carried out by, or on behalf of, the applicant
• Government and Planning Inspectorate requirements - circulars, orders, statutory instruments, guidance, and advice
• Previous appeal decisions and planning Inquiry reports
• Principles of Case Law held through the Courts
• Loss of sunlight (based on Building Research Establishment guidance)
• Overshadowing/loss of outlook to the detriment of residential amenity (though not loss of view as such)
• Overlooking and loss of privacy
• Highway issues: traffic generation, vehicular access, highway safety
• Noise or disturbance resulting from use, including proposed hours of operation
• Smells and fumes
• Capacity of physical infrastructure, e.g. in the public drainage or water systems
• Deficiencies in social facilities, e.g. spaces in schools
• Storage & handling of hazardous materials and development of contaminated land
• Loss or effect on trees
• Adverse impact on nature conservation interests & biodiversity opportunities
• Effect on listed buildings and conservation areas
• Incompatible or unacceptable uses
• Local financial considerations offered as a contribution or grant
• Layout and density of building design, visual appearance and finishing materials
• Inadequate or inappropriate landscaping or means of enclosure
The weight attached to material considerations in reaching a decision is a matter of judgement for the decision-taker however the decision-taker is required to demonstrate that in reaching that decision that they have considered all relevant matters.
Generally greater weight is attached to issues raised which are supported by evidence rather than solely by assertion.
If an identified problem can be dealt with by means of a suitable condition then the Local Planning Authority is required to consider this rather than by issuing a refusal.
NON-MATERIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS:
Issues that are not relevant to the decision:
(There exist further non-material planning considerations not included in this list)
• Matters controlled under building regulations or other non-planning legislation e.g. structural stability, drainage details, fire precautions, matters covered by licences etc.
• Private issues between neighbours e.g. land/boundary disputes, damage to property, private rights of access, covenants, ancient and other rights to light etc.
• Problems arising from the construction period of any works, e.g. noise, dust, construction vehicles, hours of working (covered by Control of Pollution Acts).
• Opposition to the principle of development when this has been settled by an outline planning permission or appeal
• Applicant’s personal circumstances (unless exceptionally and clearly relevant, e.g. provision of facilities for someone with a physical disability)
• Previously made objections/representations regarding another site or application
• Factual misrepresentation of the proposal
• Opposition to business competition
• Loss of property value• Loss of view