Go back
Back to Planning and buildings

View or comment on planning applications

Planning applications aren't confidential. We publicise them to give interested parties a chance to view and comment on them. These comments are called 'representations'.

When someone applies for planning permission, we publish details of the application online. We may also post notices near to the site where the proposed work will take place, or write to those who live along the boundaries of the site. For large scale development proposals we'll also advertise them in the local newspaper.

View planning applications online

You can view all planning applications and their supporting documents on Planning Explorer.

 

You can also view planning applications on a map.

Stakeholder comments

We invite relevant stakeholders, interested groups, and statutory and non-statutory consultees to comment on planning applications.

Statutory consultees

Statutory consultees are organisations and bodies who must be consulted on relevant planning applications. They include the Environment Agency, Natural England, English Heritage and National Highways.

Other bodies include local highway and planning authorities, and organisations with very specific interests, such as the Theatres Trust.

Non-statutory consultees

Non-statutory consultees are organisations and bodies identified in national planning policy who should be consulted on relevant planning applications. These include some bodies who are also statutory consultees (for example English Heritage and English Nature), and others that aren't - such as the police architectural liaison officers.

How you can comment on a planning application

We can only accept your comments (representations) on a planning application in writing. You can do this:

If you're submitting comments by email or post, please quote the planning application reference number your comments relate to.

Make sure you've looked at the planning application form, plans, and any supporting documents before making any comments. You should only use the application information for your comments, and not for any other purpose.

When making a comment, you must provide your name and address for us to consider them. Comments marked as 'in confidence' or those submitted anonymously will not be considered, and any comments submitted this way will not be counted as a formal representation.

All comments we receive are made publicly available, so anyone (including the person who applied for the planning permission) can ask to see or copy the comments.

What happens when you've made a comment

Your comments will be passed on to the case officer dealing with the planning application and will be considered as part of the decision-making process. It's not possible for us to acknowledge or respond to individual representations directly, so please consider any automatic response as your acknowledgement we've received it.

When considering comment we'll only take into account planning matters, such as the effect of the proposal on the enjoyment of your home or garden, on the appearance of the surrounding area, and on highway safety. We won't take into account matters such as the effect of the proposal on individual property values, ownership disputes, or issues covered by other legislation.

When a decision on the application has been made, this will be published on Planning Explorer.