Planning Committee Meeting Guide

The Planning Committee generally meets every four weeks on a Tuesday in the Anglia Room, Breckland Council, Elizabeth House, Walpole Loke, Dereham, NR19 1EE, commencing at 10:00am.

Attending the Committee

If you decide to attend the Planning Committee, a copy of theCommittee Agenda (opens new window) is available online at least one week before the meeting.

Which applications may go to Planning Committee?

Not all planning applications submitted are heard at Planning Committee.  Applications are heard at Planning Committee in accordance with the council's adoptedScheme of Delegation (opens new window), as set out in the Constitution. 

It is your responsibility to track the progress of an application that you are interested in using ourPlanning Search Facility.

Where email addresses have been provided, we will email the applicants or agent and the relevant Town/Parish Council to inform them when an application is going to Planning Committee.  If you wish to be notified that an application is being presented at Planning Committee, you will need to provide us with an email address, which can be sent to planning@breckland.gov.uk.  If no email is provided to us, then you will need to check the relevantPlanning Committee Page (opens new window) to establish if and when a specific application is to be considered.

Please note: if you are a neighbouring property of a planning application or have submitted comments and have not provided us with an email address, you will be notified of the Planning Committee by post.  Notification letters are sent out on the same day as emails; we cannot be held responsible for any delays in their arrival.

How do I arrange to speak at the meeting?

You can arrange to speak at Planning Committee by emailing the Committee Usher (planningusher@breckland.gov.uk).

Only parties registered to speak will be allowed to speak at Planning Committee.

You must email your request to speak, quoting the application reference number before 17:00 on the Wednesday immediately before the proposed Planning Committee meeting date. Please also let us know your interest in the application, such as whether you are an applicant, objector, supporter, representative of the Town/Parish Council, of whether you would like to attend to answer questions from Committee members only.

How long can I speak for?

Each speaker will be given a maximum of 3 minutes, or in the case of more than one objector or supporter wishing to speak, up to a maximum of 3 minutes in total will need to be shared for each relevant group. The time can be allocated to a spokesperson or shared between all speakers for each group. Where an applicant and their agent intend to speak, the three minutes can be split between the two.

If you do not wish to speak at the meeting you can ask yourLocal Ward Councillor or Town/Parish Council to represent you.

We would advise anyone wishing to get their Ward Councillor or Town/Parish Council to speak on their behalf to ensure that, if they are already intending to speak on the item, they include the points you wish to raise in their 3-minute presentation.

Speaking time for all applications is at the discretion of the Chairman of Planning Committee.

What can I say at the meeting?

Please try to be brief and to the point. Limit your comments to the application and relevant planning issues and material planning considerations, for example:

• Planning Policy (Government guidance and Local Plans).
• Design, appearance, layout and effect on nearby properties.
• Noise disturbance, smell and residential amenity.
• Highway safety and traffic issues.
• Impact on trees, conservation areas, listed buildings or nature conservation.

Note: There are issues which are not relevant to planning. You may wish for Councillors to hear all your views, however, only material planning considerations, as set out above, can be taken into account by Committee when the decision is made.

If you are a registered speaker and want to show maps, plans or photographs during your speaking time, they must be emailed to the Committee Usher (planningusher@breckland.gov.uk) before noon on the Friday before the proposed Planning Committee meeting date. We cannot show any materials brought in on a USB stick or other external devices. Only appropriate material that has been submitted by this date and been agreed by the Chairman of the Planning Committee will be shown.

Please note that videos cannot be played during the Planning Committee.

Please be aware that any material submitted will be uploaded to the website and publicly available to view, so do not include any personal information that you would not wish to be shown.    

Order of presentation at the meeting

The running order of applications at Planning Committee is subject to change and at the discretion of the Chairman of Planning Committee.  Priority is usually given to items where a Local Ward Councillor is intending to speak.

Unfortunately, we are unable to provide times for when specific applications will be heard.

At the meeting, each application will be heard in a similar fashion, as follows:

1. The Chairman will introduce the application and invite registered speakers to sit in allocated spaces
2. The Planning Officer will present the application
3. Registered speakers will be invited to present, in 3-minute timeslots, sharing where necessary.  The order of speakers is generally:
   • Town or Parish Council
   • Objectors
   • Supporters
   • Applicant and agent
   • Ward Representative
4. Members will debate the item and have the opportunity to ask questions of the Planning Officer or registered speakers
5. A vote will be taken
6. The Chairman will announce the decision on the application

Please note the decision on an application could be to refuse, approve or defer a planning application, and conditions/reasons for refusal can be added or removed by the Planning Committee, if they feel it appropriate.

What if I am unable to attend Planning Committee?

If you wish to view the meeting, Planning Committees are livestreamed on theBreckland Council YouTube channel.

If you were registered to speak but are unable to attend, please email your comments to the Committee Usher (planningusher@breckland.gov.uk). Comments should be submitted before 17:00 on the Wednesday immediately before the proposed Planning Committee meeting date. Please note that your comments may be summarised for the benefit of the members of Planning Committee.

Statements will not be read out at the Planning Committee.

Alternatively you can ask your Ward Representative to speak on your behalf.

If you are a Ward Representative and in exceptional circumstance are not able to make the meeting then a statement can be submitted and read out on your behalf.  Please note the statement may be summarised and should take no longer than 3 minutes for an officer to read out.