THE PLANNING PROCESS
The Clerk to the Parish Council is notified of all new applications (or appeals) by the relevant Planning Authority and the Council is asked to respond within a certain timeframe.
The Council will hold a Public Meeting (open to all) to discuss and make its decision on all current applications. Advance notice of the meeting is given on the Parish Council noticeboards, as well as on this website. We detail each application on the agenda so everyone is aware of the specific applications that will be discussed, as well as providing details of the application so that further information can be obtained if required.
Any Councillor who has an interest in any application, will declare an interest and either not comment or vote, or indeed may leave the room, according to the type of involvement the Councillor has with an applicant or property.
At the Parish Council Meeting, people who support or object to an application may attend to hear the discussions. At the discretion of the Chairman, members of the public may be allowed to speak to give their views in relation to an application under consideration. Any such speeches by members of the public will be time limited so, if numerous people have come to the meeting who all share the same view, it is a good idea to nominate a spokesperson so that maximum benefit can be had (rather than three people covering the same points). Any objections to an application must relate to genuine planning grounds – should any objections be made on a personal level, the Chairman will stop the meeting.
Once any members of the public have been heard, it is for the Councillors to debate and decide on their opinion of the application. At this point, no further comments from the public can be considered unless the Chairman specifically asks for clarification from someone in the audience.
The Clerk to the Council will record the outcome of the discussion and the Council’s reasons for the decision. This is a matter of public record.
Our decision is then communicated to the relevant Planning Authority.
For details of forthcoming meetings and guidance on how to register to speak, then please see meetings/agenda.
All members of the Brington and Molesworth Parish Council are involved in the Planning recommendations. This is to ensure that we have sufficient members available to cover the frequent meetings. It also helps to ensure we are objective in all our deliberations.