Planning – Who Makes the Decisions?
Our principal planning authority is South Norfolk District Council and all planning applications relating to our immediate location must be submitted to them.
New applications are published by the district council and for any in our area your Community Council is one of a number of consultees. The Community Council can give its opinion on a specific application but we do not have the power to grant or refuse planning permission. South Norfolk District Council may uphold our opinion or simply reject it. However, whenever the district council decision differs from the opinion expressed by our own council, it usually explains its reasons back to us.
The Process
The district council’s planning committee decides on applications in its area. Their decision may, in most instances, be appealed against by the applicant. The more minor planning applications, such as house extensions, are mostly decided by the district council’s planning officials, under what are called ‘delegated powers’. New rules for Householder Permitted Development came into force on 1st October 2008; these have significantly altered what development can and cannot be done to a residential property without requiring planning permission.
There is a procedure whereby any planning application determined by a district council planning officer, under these delegated powers, may be ‘called-in’, for a decision to be made by the planning committee. The prerogative for ‘calling-in’ an application rests with the appropriate district councillor, who for us is Julian Halls. On very rare occasions, we as a Council may request the district councillor to ‘call-in’ a planning application. This procedure is only invoked when the Community Council feels that the application is of such a nature that it considers the interests of the local community is best served by having it decided by the district council’s planning committee, rather than being decided under ‘delegated powers.’
There is nothing to prevent any resident requesting their district councillor to have a planning application ‘called-in’ but before doing so the district councillor will need to be convinced that there is justification for such an action to be taken, as the district councillor will have to present a convincing argument to South Norfolk Council that such a move is justified. All applicants have the statutory right to appeal against any planning decision made by the district council and you are advised to seek the assistance of the district council’s planning department to learn about the procedures and time-tables involved with planning appeals.
New Planning Applications?
Planning applications are listed on the planning application page for current applications under consideration and previous submissions where the council has made comments (if appropriate) to South Norfolk District Council. Perusal of the comunity council meeting minutes, published on this website, will enable you to obtain details of local applications considered the council and its decision.
Visit the SOUTH NORFOLK PLANNING PORTAL and select from the options available for full details of all applications made. You will be able to view all the planning applications; not only for this parish but for the entire South Norfolk area. You are able to peruse not just only the current planning applications and decisions but also the ones made in recent past years. Owners of adjoining or nearby properties likely to be affected by a planning application are usually notified about the application by the district council and are invited to comment on the application. Copies of all planning applications can also be viewed at the South Norfolk District Council Offices in Long Stratton.
The copies issued to the community council are usually in circulation, being passed between the community councillors, right up to the time of the next council meeting. For this reason it is not always possible for the community council to make them conveniently available to parishioners.
How to have your say?
Any resident is entitled to make representation to either or both us as the Community Council and South Norfolk Council as the district authority. This may be made either in writing to either or both councils. In the case of us as the Community Council you may also make personal representation at a council meeting and we welcome resident comments; either for or against, any planning application.