Planning Guide Index

•To guide you through the process.

•To provide links to the various resources and tools that can support and guide you.

•To help you understand the different processes.

•To guide you through the process of giving your views on what is going on in your Local Planning Authority.

•Why do we need such a guide?

•During my journey stating in 2015 it became clear that the Local Planning Process was complexed, time consuming and difficult to understand for the person in the street.

•Resources were hard to find and when found they seem to be written in a language that was hard to penetrate.

•Timescales for making representation are often off-putting and restrictive and hopefully this guide with ensure that at least your main concerns are communicated in a timely and concise manor. 

•Throughout list guide you will find links to various resources that may give you the information you need.

Find out more about your Local Authority

Plain English guide to the planning system (UK Government) (PDF Version for printing)

Planning practice guidance

The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012

A Councillor workbook: planning – Local Government Association

Natural England Resource

Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities

Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs

Environment Agency Planning Advice to Developers from the Environment Agency

Department for Transport advice for transport professionals and local councils(DFT Statistics)

UK housing and planning statistics(specific statistic will be referenced through out this guide)

National map of planning data

Local authority green belt statistics for England: 2021 to 2022 (including AONB)

Construction near protected areas and wildlife

Full Guide here 

When making a comment you will need to give detailed reasons about why you support or oppose a proposal and be aware of what we can and can’t take into consideration.

It is worth remembering that it is not the number of responses that may affect a planning decision, but the planning issues raised. 

• Local and national planning policies. 
• Government circulars, orders and statutory instruments.
• Previous planning decisions (including appeal decisions).
• Design, visual appearance and materials.
• Overshadowing, loss of outlook (but not loss of view).
• Noise and disturbance from use.
• Smells.
• Light pollution. 
• Highway safety issues.
• Traffic generation.
• Vehicular access.
• Adequacy of parking. 
• Impact / loss of trees / hedgerows. 
• Landscaping.
• Nature conservation and effect on protected species.
• Intrusion into the open countryside.
• Risk of flooding.
• Effect of listed buildings and conservation areas.
• Archaeology.
• Hazardous materials and ground contamination.

• Loss of view including over other land
• Rights to light.
• Loss of property value.
• Breach of restrictive covenant.
• The level of profit a developer might make.
• Personal circumstances of the applicant (in most cases).
• Objections based on race, religion or sexual orientation of the applicant. 
• Moral objections e,g, to uses such as betting offices
• Matters controlled under building regulations or other non-planning laws, e.g. structural stability, drainage, fire precautions, environmental protection etc.
• Private issues between neighbours e.g. land/boundary disputes, loss of ability to maintain property, damage to property, private rights of way, covenants etc.
• Problems arising from the construction period of any works, e.g. noise, dust, construction vehicles etc.
• Retrospective nature of approval sought i.e. if development is already built or started without permission. It is still necessary to look only at the planning merits.

Offensive, racist, discriminatory, threatening and other statements that are not appropriate will not be published.

• Offensive statements lower a person’s reputation personally within their trade, profession or business.
• Racist statements are those that are offensive or discriminate against individuals on racial grounds, including their race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins. Gypsies and other minorities are racial groups.
• Statements that discriminate on grounds of religion, sexuality or disability will also not be published.
• Comments that include such statements will be rejected and returned back to you but can be resubmitted in a more acceptable form.

The Council is bound by the Equality Act 2010 which applies to those providing services and public functions and prohibits direct and indirect discrimination and harassment all of which these types of remarks might amount to.

The council reserve the right not to publish comments. 

•If you are reading this, you have already started.

•Identify the area you're from here Local Planning Authority (LPA)

•Go to your Local Planning Authority website, these websites can be complex and multi layered – Tip use Google search engine like this – your local authority's name in full + the subject you need to find. (At my local authority they have told me this is the most common way members of the public find information)

Sign up to your Local Authority Alerts if they do one. one. Wealden is here

•Find the application location on their website and bookmark it in your web browser for ease of accessing as more information will be added the applications file, (this guide is based on the fact that you will have access to the internet, planning is very much embedded in the digital world and is planned to be more so in the future).

•You need to be clear on what you can and cannot comment on, these are called Material Consideration and may or may be not published by your LPA, but you can find a general view on material consideration here at the Local Government Association (LGA).

•Go here for the Local Government Association main website. For specific information use Google again using the search term - Local Government Association + the subject you need to find (It should be on the first page)

Let's Go

The first thing is to obtain a Biodiversity Report from The Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre Why - it takes at least two months to get also encourage as many people to download and start reporting species on - iRecord

Step 1, read the application documentation

Step 2, Read the Consultee Submission's

Step 3, Decide on which issue you are most Qualified to give an opinion on.

Step 4, Have questions, reach out to social media, and just ask.

Step 5, Research, Research, and more Research

Step 6, Start you submission and keep it in line with material considerations Page 7, keep it concise, reference any source information you quote. in most cases you can add other documents to comments if you are submitting online. Some more useful further information. LPA's do not like boiler plate letters make sure your is unique. 

Step 7, It's not over, you need to keep an eye on the application as more documents might be added.

Step 8, copy the ward councillor with your letter. For large and controversial application also write to your Local MP. Leaflet if you can, for all applications talk to your Town or Parish Council.