Planning and consultation advice - Print version

When a planning application is made we will consult with you in a variety of ways.

• You may be sent a notification letter
• You may have seen a site notice
• You may have read about the application in the local press or through statutory press notices (published in the Coventry Telegraph).
• You may have seen the application on our website or through our weekly lists of applications received [https://planandregulatory.coventry.gov.uk/planning/index.html?fa=getReceivedWeeklyList].

Before giving your views, you should take time to look at the application documents online [https://planandregulatory.coventry.gov.uk/planning/index.html] as this will help you to make a decision.

If you need to speak with the case officer, possibly about progress on the application, then they can be contacted by e-mail (details are available via the online planning record).

Planning Aid Direct [https://planningaid.zendesk.com/hc/en-us]offers a wide variety of guidance notes which are free to read and download.

If you have any other questions you can e-mail Planning Aid England at advice@planningaid.rtpi.org.uk [mailto:advice@planningaid.rtpi.org.uk]. Advice is only available free of charge to community groups and individuals that cannot afford to pay for help.

How to comment on a planning application

Unless comments are received in writing they will not be taking into consideration in the determination of a planning application. You are advised to formally put your views in writing through our planning portal [https://planandregulatory.coventry.gov.uk/planning/index.html] (using the representations option). Written comments can also be emailed to Development Management. You must include the planning reference number on any comments that are not made through the online system. Comments received will be taken into consideration in the determination process but individual responses to queries raised in letters will not be responded to.

Only online comments will be acknowledged.

How to comment

Using our application search [https://planandregulatory.coventry.gov.uk/planning/index.html] pages and online map you can identify the application you are interested in. You can check any information supplied with the application and if it is still "Pending" there will be a "comment on this application button".

Personal Data

Before commenting on this application we strongly recommend that you read our data protection policy statement [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/25356/data_protection_policy] contained on our website and publishing your comment page. 

What can I comment on?

Planning matters include

• how it fits in with the adopted Development Plan
• how the proposal fits in terms of design and use with the surroundings
• the effect on sunlight and daylight on neighbouring properties
• the loss of privacy to neighbouring properties
• the effect on parking, traffic and road safety
• noise and general disturbance to nearby residents' land
• ownership disputes

Planning matters do not include

• personal circumstances or character of the person
• spoiling your view
• rights to light
• devaluing your property
• moral issues
• covenants affecting properties
• nuisance caused by building work

Anybody can comment. You do not need to have a direct interest in the application site or be a neighbour. You can support as well as object to a proposal. Remember that all comments received are open to public inspection and may be repeated in other public documents.

Anonymous comments

Due to the legal requirement to make comments available for public inspection, we cannot provide anonymity or accept comments marked ‘private or confidential’. In such instances they will be returned; where anonymous they will be destroyed.

Comments that include offensive, racist, discriminatory, threatening and other non relevant statements will be returned or destroyed as above and will not form part of the application documentation.

National Scheme of Delegation – Schedule 1, Schedule 2, Own interest, Other

The scheme of delegation sets out a two-tier approach to the determination of planning applications. Schedule 1 applications must always be delegated to officers. With Schedule 2 applications there is a presumption that applications will also be delegated, unless:

1. the nominated officer and nominated member agree the application should be referred to a Planning Committee for determination; and
2. it meets at least one of the criteria in regulation 5(3), namely:

• where the application raises an economic, social or environmental issue of significance to the local area; and/or
• where the application raises a significant planning matter having regard to the development plan and any other material considerations.

The Assistant Director - Planning Services will be the nominated officer (Chief Planning Officer) for the purposes with the Head of Development Management acting as substitute on their behalf as substitute. The Nominated Member will be the Chair of Planning Committee, with the Deputy Chair acting as a substitute.

The nominated officer and nominated member will make every effort to reach an agreement on which cases should be referred to Committee. However, where agreement is not possible, the case must be determined by officers under the scheme.

Applications which are specified in the Regulations as falling under Schedule 1, and which must be determined by officers, are summarised as follows:-

1. Applications under section 17(1) of the Land Compensation Act 1961 for a Certificate of Appropriate Alternative Development.
2. Applications under section 26H(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 for a Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Works to a Listed Building.
3. Householder applications.
4. Minor commercial applications.
5. Minor residential applications.
6. Applications for Permission in Principle.
7. Section 73 applications (variation/removal of conditions) where the original permission was granted pursuant to a Schedule 1 application.
8. Applications under section 96A TCPA 1990 for non-material amendments.
9. Requests or applications to modify or discharge planning obligations under section 106A TCPA 1990 where the obligation is connected with a Schedule 1 approval.
10. Applications under section 191 TCPA 1990 for a Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development (CLEUD).
11. Applications under section 192 TCPA 1990 for a Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Use or Development (CLOPUD).
12. Submission of a Biodiversity Gain Plan under Schedule 7A to the TCPA 1990.
13. Reserved Matters Applications relating to any outline planning permission other than a Large Outline Permission.
14. Applications under article 27 of the DMPO for approval required by a planning condition.
15. Applications under Schedule 2 to the GPDO 2015 for:

• Prior Approval; or
• A determination as to whether Prior Approval is required.

Applications which are specified in the legislation as falling under Schedule 2, and which must be determined by officers, unless it is considered by the nominated officer and nominated member that they meet at least one of the criteria in Regulation 5(3), are summarised as follows:

1. Applications for Listed Building Consent under section 10(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
2. Applications under section 19(1) of the Listed Buildings Act for variation or discharge of conditions attached to listed building consent.
3. Planning applications which the authority considers are connected with an application for listed building consent or a listed building condition application.
4. Planning applications that are not: Householder applications; Minor commercial applications; or Minor residential applications.     
5. Section 73 applications where the original permission was granted pursuant to a Schedule 2 application.
6. Retrospective planning applications under section 73A TCPA 1990.
7. Requests or applications to modify or discharge planning obligations under section 106A TCPA 1990 where the obligation is connected with a Schedule 2 approval.
8. Reserved Matters Applications relating to a Large Outline Permission.
9. Applications for Advertisement Consent under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007.
10. Applications for consent under a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) under the Town and Country Planning (Tree Preservation) (England) Regulations 2012.

There are also specific provisions for Own-interest applications i.e. an application made (whether or not jointly with any other person) by: the authority or where the authority is landowner, a Member of the authority, a senior officer (heads of service and above) or by an officer of the Planning Division, or, an application where the authority or any of its Members, senior officers or officers of the Planning Division have an interest, to support transparency and propriety. These can be referred to Planning Committee for determination if the nominated officer and nominated member agree irrespective of whether they fall in Schedule 1 or Schedule 2.

Where a planning function is not listed in either Schedule 1 or 2, the application will be classed as Other, and the usual constitutional arrangement will apply.

Due to the changes in the legislation, Ward Councillors will no longer be able to request that a Schedule 1 application is considered by the Planning Committee. They will still be able to call a Schedule 2 or Own Interest application to the gateway test, and applications classed as Other will follow the existing scheme of delegation. For applications that must be delegated or that do not meet the gateway test criteria to be reported to planning committee, Member comments will continue to be considered along with other representations made on the application.

Planning petitions will continue to be accepted. Where a planning petition (sponsored by a Councillor) relates to a matter being determined under officer delegation, the issues raised in the petition will be considered as part of the decision-making process. Where the planning petition relates to a matter being referred to Planning Committee, the consideration of the petition will follow the existing process.

Planning appeals

If the application is subject to appeal, comments will be forwarded to the Planning Inspectorate and may be published in full on their website.

In the case of a householder, advertisement, or minor commercial (shop front) development application, the appeal will proceed by way of a fast track procedure. Any comments made about the application will be passed to the Secretary of State and there will be no opportunity to make further representations.

Publishing your comments

Personal Data and Data Protection

Before commenting on applications we strongly recommend that you read the full details of our Planning Privacy Notice [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/planningprivacynotice].

The Data Protection Act 2018 requires personal information to be dealt with in a specific way. Personal data does not just mean the names, addresses and telephone number of an individual; it includes any information within a letter that would identify another person, which may not always be clear. When contacting us to make comments please take care with your personal information.

In respect of publicising your comments; we do not publish neighbour comments online although we may refer to them within the case officer report and redacted comments will be made available on request.

We will sometimes need to share the information we have with other Council departments, for example our highways team, and external consultees i.e. Highways Agency.

In the event of an appeal we will send unredacted neighbour comments to the Planning Inspectorate and the applicant/agent when the applicant makes an appeal against a decision.

If you change your mind at any time, you can let us know by emailing: planning@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:planning@coventry.gov.uk]. The council have one month to comply with your request to withdraw consent for your neighbour comments to be shared. However, in respect of Planning Appeals, please note that once your neighbour comment is sent to the Inspectorate and to the Parties to the Appeal the Council will not be able to comply with your request to withdraw the comments so you must notify us before the appeal process commences. Although the Council aim to control the data it processes, once the neighbour comment has been sent to the Parties to the Appeal, they will have viewed the information and there is no way of reversing this.

Planning Committee

How to make your views known at the right time.

Introduction

We welcome public comments, whether for small developments like house extensions, or for large plans affecting a whole area. This explains how you can best make your views known so they can be considered before a decision is made.

Having your say at Planning Committee

In line with the National Scheme of Delegation introduced by the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026 some applications may be determined by Planning Committee, if they meet the gateway criteria set out by the regulations.

Planning Committee meetings are usually held every three weeks on a Thursday afternoon in the Council House. The meetings are open to members of the public. Any written comments you make will be included in the written report if the application is to be considered by the Committee.

If you wish to speak at the Committee then you must contact the Governance Services Officer on 024 7697 2301 or 024 7697 2302 or email governance.services@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:governance.services@coventry.gov.uk] by 2pm, at the latest, on the Tuesday before the meeting. Governance Services are unable to assist with any queries relating to planning applications.

Please be aware that the Council’s procedures [https://edemocracy.coventry.gov.uk/documents/s23286/Planning Committee Procedure Rules.pdf] state that “Speakers will only be allowed one opportunity to address the Committee, irrespective of whether the application is deferred to a later Planning Committee. However, if material changes arise following deferment, or there are exceptional reasons submitted by the speakers to address the Committee again, the Chair of Planning Committee has discretionary power to allow registered speakers an opportunity to address the Committee on new issues.” and “A ‘registered speaker’ will be a person (other than the applicant or their representative) who has made written representations on the application to planning employees within the consultation period and has registered to speak with the Place Directorate.” On this basis some requests may be declined.

Once you have told us of your wish to speak, you will be contacted to confirm the details of the meeting. You will be given a copy of the officer's report.

At the meeting, the Chair will invite speakers to address the meeting for a maximum of three minutes each. Any objectors will go first, followed by those in support and finally the person making the application or their representative.

Councillor referral to the Gateway meeting and petitions

Due to the changes in the legislation, Ward Councillors will no longer be able to request that a Schedule 1 application is considered by the Planning Committee. They will still be able to call a Schedule 2 or Own Interest application to the gateway test, and applications classed as Other will follow the existing scheme of delegation. For applications that must be delegated or that do not meet the gateway test criterion to be reported to planning committee, Member comments will continue to be considered along with other representations made on the application.

The Gateway tests are:
•    where the application raises an economic, social or environmental issue of significance to the local area; and/or 
•    where the application raises a significant planning matter having regard to the development plan and any other material considerations.
 

How decisions are made

Every decision will be made after looking at:

• whether it fits in with the development plan
• the individual merits
• any relevant comments from people consulted.

Your views are only one part of what is considered and may not be more important than other factors. In law the decision must be made in line with the development plan unless it is proved otherwise. Also, Government advice is that development plans should generally be approved unless there are significant planning objections.

What happens once a decision has been made?

Once a decision is made only the person making the application has the right to appeal - either against a refusal or any condition imposed. Neighbours and other interested people cannot appeal against the decision.

If an appeal is made then an inspector chosen by the Planning Inspectorate will look at the matter. If you commented on the original planning application then you will be told of the appeal and be invited to give your views to the Planning Inspectorate. Any comments you made on the original application will have already been forwarded to the Inspector.

Appeals against refusal of planning permission for householder development

If plans by a householder are refused, any representations made about the application will be sent to the Secretary of State, but there will be no further chance to comment at appeal stage. You will be told of this at the time the appeal is made and you will be able to withdraw the comments if you wish.

After the decision is made

When an application has been decided, a copy of the decision notice is available to see on our Planning portal [https://planandregulatory.coventry.gov.uk/planning/index.html] along with any documents.

Once a decision is made only the person making the application has the right to appeal either against a refusal or any condition imposed on a permission. Neighbours and other interested people have no right of appeal.

Appeal process

Appeals against refusal or conditions in relation to non-householder applications. If an appeal is made then an inspector chosen by the Planning Inspectorate will consider the matter. If you commented on the original planning application then you will be told of the appeal and be invited to give your views to the Planning Inspectorate.

In the event of an appeal we will send unredacted neighbour comments to the Planning Inspectorate and the applicant/agent when the applicant makes an appeal against a decision.

If you change your mind at any time, you can let us know by emailing: planning@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:planning@coventry.gov.uk]. The council has one month to comply with your request to withdraw consent for your neighbour comments to be shared. However, in respect of Planning Appeals, please note that once your neighbour comment is sent to the Inspectorate and to the Parties to the Appeal the Council will not be able to comply with your request to withdraw the comments so you must notify us before the appeal process commences. Although the Council aim to control the data it processes, once the neighbour comment has been sent to the Parties to the Appeal, they will have viewed the information and there is no way of reversing this.

If planning permission is refused for householder or minor commercial development, any representations made about this application will be sent to the Secretary of State, and there will be no further opportunity to comment at the appeal stage. You will be told of this at the time the appeal is made and you will be able to withdraw comments if you wish.

Detailed information on planning appeals from GOV.UK: Planning Inspectorate [https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/planning-inspectorate].

Start of works

Once the development has started or is complete, if you believe it is not in line with the approved plans or conditions then please complete the online enquiry form [/info/1003/planning_enforcement/1343/how_to_report_an_enforcement_issue].

Your request for us to investigate will be kept confidential and we will get back to tell you what action we will take.

Guide to the planning system

We have attached below links to some helpful (external) websites and documents that explain what the planning process is for and how some of the more technical parts are interpreted.

The list is not exhaustive but may help guide you through the process of commenting on or making a planning application.

Plain English guide to the planning system [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plain-english-guide-to-the-planning-system]

This guide explains how the planning system in England works. It is intended to give an overview only and does not set out new planning policy or guidance. We have done our best to ensure that the information in this guide is correct as of January 2015. It is possible that some of the information is oversimplified, or may become inaccurate over time, for example because of changes to the law.

The Planning Portal [https://www.planningportal.co.uk/]

Planning practice guidance is now available entirely online in a usable and accessible way. Important information for any user of the planning system previously only published in separate documents can now be found quickly and simply. You can link easily between the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant planning practice guidance, as well as between different categories of guidance.

National Planning Policy Framework [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2]

The National Planning Policy Framework seeks to make the planning system less complex and more accessible. It simplifies the number of policy pages about planning. The planning practice guidance (link above) to support the framework is published online and regularly updated. The framework acts as guidance both in drawing up plans and making decisions about planning applications.

Supplementary Guidance issued by Coventry [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/111/planning_policy/3600/coventry_local_plan_2011-2031/2]

This is often brought in after public consultation and can include; design guides, Area development briefs and supplements/policies of the adopted 2001 Coventry Development Plan.