The
Terms of Reference for this body are available to view in Part 3 of
the Constitution.
Site Visits and
Reconvened Meetings
Receipt of
Late Correspondence
Public
Speaking at the Planning Committee
Planning Committee Members Code of Good
Practice
Planning Scheme of Delegation
Site Visits & Reconvened Meetings
Please note that at Planning
Committee meetings the Committee can decide to defer applications
for a site visit. Site Visits usually take place on the
Thursday following the Planning Committee Meeting on a
Monday. Notification of the sites to be visited will be
published on this site when necessary.
Following the Site Visits, the
Committee will reconvene (usually back at the Council Offices)
to determine the application/s. For further information
please contact Democratic Services on 01553 616276.
Receipt of Late Correspondence
Please note that any
correspondence received after the publication of the agenda must be
received by the Planning Department before 5.00 pm two clear
working days before the meeting – this is usually the
Wednesday. If it is not received by this time we cannot guarantee
that it will be taken into account when the application is
considered.
Public Speaking at the Planning
Committee
The Council is committed to
open government and public involvement in the planning process. As
part of this commitment, certain members of the public and parish
councils have the right to speak about planning applications to the
Planning Committee.
The following information will
help you to understand this process and sets out the procedure
which must be followed.
How can I find out when
an application will be considered?
Very broadly, applications may
be considered by the Planning Committee if:
A member of the Council has
requested that it be considered;
Views have been received which
are contrary to the officer recommendation, and which raise issues
showing wide concern;
In some instances when a Parish
Council has expressed a view contrary to the officer
recommendations;
The proposal conflicts with
policy but there are other reasons for support.
Otherwise the decision is
likely to be made by the officers.
Meetings are held roughly every
four weeks, usually on a Monday.
The meetings follow an agenda
which is published on the website 5 working days before the meeting
is scheduled to take place.
Please note that any
correspondence received after the publication of the agenda must be
received by the Planning Department before 5.00 pm two clear
working days before the meeting – this is usually the
Wednesday. If it is not received by this time we cannot guarantee
that it will be taken into account when the application is
considered.
If you have expressed a view in
writing about a proposal and, (if the application is to be
considered by the Planning Committee), you wish to speak at the
meeting, it is your responsibility to check whether the application
is included in the agenda. You can do this by contacting the
Planning Officer or the Planning Administrator or
by viewing a
copy of the Agenda on the Borough
Council's website.
Who
can speak at the meeting?
If the application is to be
considered by the Planning Committee you may speak to the
Board only if you have already written to the Council
as:
An objector to a
proposal;
A supporter of a proposal
(including the applicant/agent)
You are a representative of the
Parish Council.
However, if there is more than
one person who either objects to or supports a proposal, a
representative of the relevant group needs to be chosen to address
the Committee. Failure to arrange this beforehand may forfeit
the right to speak. Normally only one speaker (not including
the Parish Council) will be allowed to speak for each
'side'.
If the application is for major
development, two speakers are permitted to speak in support of the
proposal and two speakers are permitted to speak against the
proposal.
What can I say?
You can only speak about issues
which you, or the other objectors/supporters, have already raised
in written comments to the Council.
It will help if you are clear
and concise and confine your points to relevant planning
issues.
You may not:
Enter into any discussion or
debate on the proposal;
Ask any questions of
Councillors, the other party or anyone else at the
meeting;
Use any equipment, however,
documents which are already before the Council (e.g. site plan) can
be displayed for you to refer to.
At the Chairman's discretion,
questions may be put to you by Members after you have
spoken.
How long can I speak for?
You can speak for a maximum of
three minutes either supporting or objecting to the
application, unless the application is for
major development, in which case two speakers will be permitted to
speak for or against the application for five minutes per
person.
You will be invited by the
Chairman to address the Committee immediately before the
application is to be considered.
Items will generally be
considered in the order in which they appear on the agenda,
although the Chairman may use discretion to alter the
order.
You should therefore be
prepared to attend the meeting for some time before your item is
considered. However, once it has been considered you may wish
to stay or leave the meeting.
How do I arrange to speak at the
meeting?
You must notify Planning Admin
on 01553 616818 or 616234 or email borough.planning@west-norfolk.gov.uk of
your intention to speak before 5.00 pm two working days before the
meeting (usually the Wednesday).
Do I have to speak to the Committee for my
views to be considered?
No. If you have written
to the Council regarding a planning application your views will be
summarised in the published report and taken into
consideration.
You may also consider
contacting your Ward
Councillor who, (even if not
a member of the Planning Committee), can explain your issues to the
meeting. However, the Councillor is not your representative
and may also express other views.
What if I have further queries?
The Council has attempted to
make this procedure as fair and as easy to operate as possible
within the guidelines which the Government sets out for determining
planning applications.
If you have any questions that
have not been answered by the information given in this leaflet,
please contact us.
Contact Details
Please contact the Area
Planning Officer dealing with the application or:
Planning Admin, Borough Council
of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, King's Court, Chapel Street,
King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 1EX
Tel: 01553 616818 or
616234
Fax: 01553 691663
E-mail: borough.planning@west-norfolk.gov.uk