Local planning authorities (e.g. Cheshire East Council) appoint planning officers to assist with the operation of the planning system. Most minor and uncontroversial planning applications received by local planning authorities will be decided through delegated decision-taking powers, which means they are dealt with by local planning authority officers. Larger and more controversial developments are often decided by a planning committee, informed by officers’ recommendations.
Handforth Town Council is NOT a planning authority and cannot approve or reject planning applications. It is, however, a statutory consultee having the right to be informed by the local planning authority (Cheshire East Council) of planning applications relevant to Handforth parish. The town council also has the statutory right to submit comment (to Cheshire East Council) on such applications. The town council’s planning committee meets in public. Each meeting commences with an open forum during which members of the public may express their views. However, the planning committee is advised not to provide planning advice either to applicants or to objectors.
The committee’s formal assessment of planning applications is based on the following material considerations:
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- Local (e.g. the Handforth Neighbourhood Plan), strategic, regional and national planning policies
- Previous planning decisions (including appeal decisions)
- Layout and density of buildings, their design, visual appearance and construction materials
- Effects on neighbours including loss of light, overshadowing, loss of privacy
- Pollution including noise, smells, light, hazardous materials, ground contamination
- Vehicle access, parking adequacy, traffic generation, disabled persons access, and highway safety issues
- Effects on the natural or historic environment including loss of trees, landscaping, nature conservation, listed buildings and conservation areas
The following issues are NOT material considerations for planning decisions:
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- Loss of view
- Loss of property value
- Breach of restrictive covenant
- Loss of trade to a competitor
- The level of profit a developer might make
- Personal circumstances of the applicant.
- Moral considerations (eg religious objections to licensed premises)
- Matters controlled under Building Regulations
- Private issues between neighbours (e.g. boundary disputes)
- Problems arising from construction works (e.g. noise, dust)
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References
Plain English guide to the Planning System, (2015) Department for Communities and Local Government
A Councillors Workbook on Planning (2017) Local Government Association.
Cheshire East Council Planning portal: How to make comments on planning applications.