Your right to speak at Planning Committee

Introduction

The right to speak at a Planning Committee meeting applies equally to:

• all Tunbridge Wells Borough Council councillors
• applicants and their agents
• members of the public, including supporters and objectors
• representatives of the town and parish councils within the borough of Tunbridge Wells

Because the Planning Committee has slightly different rules to other Committees of the Council, this guide sets out relevant information and limitations relating to speaking at a Planning Committee meeting.

The Planning Committee meets every three weeks to determine planning applications and to consider other planning issues. The Planning Committee membership is selected from the elected representatives of the borough wards shown on the map below. However, Planning Committee members make decisions on behalf of the Council, regardless of the borough ward they represent.

Making your views known

All comments on planning applications should be made via the planning pages on our website.

If you are unable to submit your comments via our website, you can submit them by:

Emailing us at: planning@tunbridgewells.gov.uk

Writing to us at:

Or, by calling us on 01892 554604 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

Your comments, including any relevant photographs, plans or drawings, should be submitted before the end of the consultation period on an application. This will ensure your comments are taken into consideration by the Planning Officer when writing up their recommendation.

If you are interested in a particular application, you are advised to register for updates on our website. This will alert you when, or if, the application is to be determined at Planning Committee. Please note that how a decision is made can change during the assessment of an application.

If you submit comments on an application and the decision is to be made by the Planning Committee, we will notify you of the date, time and location of the meeting. However, no more than five working days' notice of the meeting can be given.

Speaking at a Planning Committee meeting

Planning Committee meetings follow an agenda that is published at least five working days in advance. A copy of the agenda for each meeting is available on the Planning Committee page of our website. A copy is also available at the meeting.

You can also obtain a copy of the agenda from our Democratic Services team by email at committee@tunbridgewells.gov.uk or by calling 01892 554413 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

You are welcome to attend any Planning Committee meeting and, subject to the requirements and limitations set out below, may put your views to the Committee members in person.

Requirements and limitations

To exercise your right to speak at a Planning Committee meeting, you must register to do so in advance. The registration process for public speakers will commence once the agenda is published (normally five clear working days before the meeting) and close no later than 4pm on the working day before the meeting.

To register to speak at a Planning Committee meeting, please contact our Democratic Services team by email at committee@tunbridgewells.gov.uk or by calling 01892 554413 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

To allow Committee business to be dealt with efficiently, time limits on speaking apply. A maximum of four objectors and four supporters may address the Committee for up to three minutes each. We suggest that where there are several speakers with similar views, they agree a spokesperson or persons to present all their views. In addition, borough, parish or town council representatives, who have registered, each have a maximum of three minutes to speak. If Planning Committee defers a decision, the Chair may allow the speakers to present their views at subsequent meetings.

If speakers want to show visual materials to illustrate their statement at the meeting, they should have been submitted as part of an earlier representation. In exceptional circumstances registered speakers may submit additional information for display to support their comments, subject to this being by no later than midday on the last working day immediately before the meeting, and on the basis that the decision on whether it can be used will lie with the Chair. The Democratic Services team will discuss with you how your visual materials can be displayed.

Meeting procedure

The time and date of the meetings for the year are available on the Planning Committee page of our website.

At the start of the meeting the Chair will announce the order of the planning applications to be considered and invite the Planning Officer to introduce the report, site and proposal for each application.

The sequence of speakers registered for each item will be:

• the objectors
• the supporters
• representatives of the town or parish council
• any Borough Councillor who is not a member of the Planning Committee

After hearing any speakers, the Chair invites the Planning Officer to make any points of clarification and allows questions from Committee members to officers. The Committee then debate the issues and make a decision. Members of the public cannot speak, ask questions, or make comments in this part of the meeting.

Guidance for speaking 

Begin by giving your name and address, or if you are representing somebody else, your name, your profession and the name of whom you are representing.

Try to speak clearly and do not rush your words.

It is sometimes helpful to prepare a few notes, which can help to order your thoughts at the meeting. Try to be as brief as possible and avoid repeating points. Remember that you only have three minutes to express your views. Stick to the planning issues which are relevant to the case in point (see the valid planning issues section below).

Valid planning issues only

Please limit your comments to the valid planning issues relevant to the case you are speaking about. Examples include:

• whether the proposal conflicts with national planning policies or those in the Borough Council’s Development Plans or Local Plan
• whether the appearance and size of a new building or external alterations to an existing building are compatible with its neighbours and the surrounding area
• whether adjoining residents will suffer significant overshadowing, overlooking or loss of privacy
• whether new roadways, accesses and parking will be adequate and safe
• whether there is any visual effect upon the landscape, for example, a loss of trees and hedgerows

Non-planning issues

Planning issues do not include, for example:

• the impact of a proposal on property values
• restrictive covenants or deeds
• civil matters such as access for maintenance or possible damage to property
• competition between traders, for example, a loss of trade
• loss of view
• boundary or other disputes

Law of slander

When you speak at a meeting, take care not to breach the law of slander. If you say something in public about a person which is derogatory or defamatory and it is not true, you may be sued and have to pay that person compensation.

Please be very careful about any criticism you make about other people.

Further information

If you require any further information about speaking at a Planning Committee meeting, or have any questions about the information provided in this guide, please email our Democratic Services team at committee@tunbridgewells.gov.uk