Ditton Parish Council

Information Leaflet

Information Leaflet Index Page

Commenting on Planning Applications

Parish Councils do not have power to grant or refuse planning permission. The Local Government Act 1972, section 101 does however, require local authorities to consult parish councils on certain matters affecting their parish and a parish council is a statutory consultee on the development plan, local plans and structure plans.

Planning authorities must inform local parish councils of applications affecting its parish and consider its views when deciding on planning applications. Planning authorities usually allow fourteen to twenty one days for a response.

To speed up planning applications once consultation has taken place, a planning committee at the planning authority can delegate decisions to its officers.

Although parish councils are not the determining authority for planning applications, they can influence planning policies on behalf of the local community by obtaining

• protection for special areas of the local environment
• protection of special buildings, trees, hedges etc
• promotion of economic interests
• promotion of environmental projects
• housing, industrial, retail or agriculture development
• appropriate design for development

Meetings of Ditton Parish Council’s Planning Committee are held twice monthly; on the first and third Monday of each month (except August and December when the Council is in recess. A meeting will only be called on the third Monday of these months if there is sufficient business to be dealt with.

All planning applications forwarded by the Borough Council for comment are placed on an agenda, which is published on parish notice boards and the website.

All meetings of the Council and its committees are open to the public and include an adjournment to enable residents to address the council.

Planning applications can only be refused by a planning authority for material considerations. These are matters that are relevant in planning terms such as

• the site’s planning history
• the size of the development
• the settlement’s development envelope
• landscape adjoining the site
• infrastructure [services, utilities, roads, parking]
• traffic impact
• the accessibility of the site
• rights of way
• special designations to protect characteristics
• listed building status
• use classes
• the development plan
• the findings of a parish appraisal and/or parish plan
• a design statement
• town centre regeneration policies
• planning policy guidance

How members of the public can be involved in the planning procedure?

If a member of the public will be affected by an application they will be notified by the Borough Council and invited to comment on the application.

Copies of applications, including plans, can be viewed at Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council Offices, Gibson Drive, Kings Hill, West Malling or the parish office [it is always best to make an appointment to see plans at the parish council office, as they may not always be available].

Members of the public can also attend a parish council meeting and address the parish council in person to advise them of their views, or they can send their comments to the Council by letter, email or fax.

The parish council welcomes residents’ comments whether they are for, or against, an application and will always take their views into consideration when discussing a response to applications.

If you require any further information, please contact...

Ditton Parish Council Office

Ditton Community Centre

Kilnbarn Road

DITTON

Aylesford

Kent ME20 6AH

Telephone: 01732 844749

Fax: 01732 845572

Email: clerk@dittonparishcouncil.gov.uk

Web site by Clive Stanley Associates 01474  822676

© Ditton Parish Council 2005.