Writing a letter of response: Planning applications & appeals

Quick Tips Know the rules - read your Council’s published guidance on what issues they can and can’t take

into consideration; these are known as ‘material considerations’

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Get familiar with the application details - has an ecology or environmental statement been submitted? Most large applications will have this already, but if not and you think they need to address specific wildlife issues, tell the Council’s planning case officer

Say what you mean - make it clear at the beginning of your response whether you object or support the proposals, or have concerns that might be able to be dealt with e.g. more information needed, change the layout etc

Keep it brief – your letter may be one of very many: make sure you get your key points across clearly and concisely

Back it up - support your points with evidence based on relevant legislation and policies such as those found in your Local Development Framework (see your Council’s website), the National Planning Policy Framework, or your own records of wildlife in or near the application site

Stick to the deadline – your views may not be taken into consideration if you submit them after the deadline for commenting

Anonymous letters All letters of representation are available to view by anyone. If you make anonymous comments, they will not normally be taken into consideration. All letters will be available to view at your local Council office, but many Councils also publish letters online. You don’t need to sign with your normal signature if you’re worried about privacy.

Petitions Petitions can be useful to demonstrate the strength of public feeling, but more weight is given to individually written letters. Avoid using generic letter templates too, as these may be treated in the same way as a petition; each person should express their own views.

Objecting on wildlife grounds In general, objections can be made on nature conservation grounds where development: directly affects a statutory or other protected site, or important habitat indirectly affects a protected wildlife site or important habitat (e.g. changes in hydrology, visitor

pressure, noise, pollution) affects a protected species, or a priority species Reduces the amount of green space available as wildlife corridors along rivers, streams,

hedgerows etc., especially through urban areas

Planning Appeals If you have submitted comments to your LPA, they will write and tell you if an appeal is submitted and keep you informed of the timetable of events. Keep an eye on deadlines – these are more rigorously adhered to in appeals. There are three types of appeal process and each one has different methods for public participation: Written Representations; where the all matters are put in writing to the Inspector and they make a

decision based on this information

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Informal Hearing; where the main parties sit round a table and discuss the issues. You may attend and speak if you register to do so with the Inspectorate

Public Inquiry; the most formal process, where the main parties involved present their cases to the Inspector, and have the opportunity to cross-examine the expert witnesses. You may attend and speak if you register to do so with the Inspectorate. In some circumstances, you may be able to question an expert witness, but you must then be prepared to be questioned yourself.

The Planning Inspectorate website contains lots of really useful guidance on how to take part in appeals