Letter to the editor - planning

Published on 27 January 2012

The Editor
Epping Forest Guardian
8 Simon Campion Court
Epping
Essex

Dear Sir

In response to your comment 'Planning notices must be clearer' I thought it might help your readers if the process is explained a little more clearly.

Anyone who submits a planning application has to provide a description of it. Some people write it themselves. Others employ an agent to do it for them. Unless we think the description is misleading, we prefer not to change the words of the applicant. We always write to the nearest neighbours to say a planning application has been submitted.Where applicable we have notices displayed at the relevant address. We would like neighbours to talk to each other when they are thinking of submitting a planning application as this can often avoid difficulties later. This is not a planning requirement but hopefully something most neighbours do.

We publish every planning application on the Council website.In more and more cases we also supply site history from previous applications. We send a weekly list of new planning applications to all our local newspapers and each Town and Parish Council. Our local councils all have access to the plans in their areas. Major planning applications also appear in the public notices section of the Guardian.

It is true we use some formal language. Planning applications are covered by English law and there is no way around quoting the Town and Country Planning Act. Adverts, notices and letters are there to draw attention to the application. However the details of any application can be viewed online or by visiting the Council offices.

Having done all these things, it might be possible that the first thing someone living near an application site might know is from reading the newspaper or talking to a reporter. Isn't that one of the reasons newspapers are so important and why we spend so many thousands of pounds each year advertising planning applications within them?

The biggest planning applications are advertised and consulted upon much more widely, often with public meetings, exhibitions, printed materials and websites. Developers who 'revel in obscure language' as you suggest will no doubt continue to be held up to scrutiny and account by the Epping Forest Guardian and our other local newspapers.

Councillor John Philip
Planning and Technology Portfolio Holder
Epping Forest District Council