This page aims to help people making comments on planning applications submitted to Wokingham Unitary Council for decision. It explains:

How you can make your views known
What issues the Council can and cannot consider
What will happen to your comments

Please help the Council to make sound judgements on planning applications which interest you by enabling you to take a full and open part in the decision-making process.

You should note that these general procedures do not apply to applications for works to trees, including Tree Preservation Orders and trees in Conservation Areas. For further information on these contact the Tree Officers on (0118) 974 6464, or email wokinghamdc@wokingham.gov.uk

Some of the words and phrases on this page are explained in "Planning Jargon".

There are limitations to total volume of extensions that can be added to a house as well as restrictions in respect of walls and fences, hardstandings and detached buildings constructed in areas such as gardens. If you want to find out what the general allowances are for extensions and alterations to dwellings the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have a useful on-line guide.

Please note that many properties in the borough, especially those built during the last 25 years, have restrictive conditions on the original planning consent. These restrictions could require any extensions or other types of development to have planning permission.

Lists of new applications are placed on the Council's web site and you can arrange for copies of the lists to be sent to you or your organisation at a small charge. Copies are also available at Planning Services Reception on the first floor of the Civic Offices at Shute End, Wokingham, and are sent to all Town and Parish Councils and Woodley Library.

By law the Council has to keep a register of all applications received and the decisions on them. You can see this at Planning Services Reception at Shute End.

The Council sends individual letters to adjoining occupiers to tell them about applications close to them. The letter includes a form to make it easy to respond, but you do not have to use this. In addition, an orange notice is sent to the applicants and they are asked to display it prominently on the application site, although they are not legally obliged to do so.

Some larger or important types of application are advertised in the Public Notices page of local newspapers. These applications have a green site notice, and these must be displayed on the site by law.

Whether the decision was made by the Committee or by planning staff, we produce a "decision notice" and send it to the applicant or their agent. We write to everyone we consulted on the application and tell them the decision we have made. We can supply a copy of the decision notice on request for a charge. Please consult the WBC Website.

If the applicant is unhappy with our decision they can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, an independent government agency. By law, disappointed objectors have no right of appeal on the Planning decision when an application is approved. If you believe the process was flawed, you can apply to the Local Government Ombudsman.

If you have any queries about the information on this webpage or a specific planning application please contact Wokingham Borough Council, WBC Website, Civic Offices, Shute End, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1WR or telephone (0118) 974 6429/6433/6432/6474 or email development.control@wokingham.gov.uk

Members of the Borough Council, and Town and Parish Councils, are also notified of significant revisions.

Unfortunately at present we are not able to send all revisions to applications to Woodley Library, only those which are significant.

In most cases planning applications are decided by Planning Officers. The Case Officer's work is checked by another more experienced Planning Officer.

Major planning applications are always decided by the Council's Development Control Committee, which meets every three weeks. It is made up of a number (currently 12) of elected Members. Whilst your own local Member(s) may not be on the Committee, they can come to the Committee and take part in discussion, but not vote, see( Speaking at Development Control Committee).

In some cases minor applications which would normally be decided by planning staff are referred to the Committee by the relevant Ward Borough Councillor. The Ward Councillor needs to say within 28 days of the application being received whether they wish this to happen, and to give a reason. We call this "listing".

If you want to know whether an application will be decided by planning staff or by the Development Control Committee, contact Development Control Administration. To discuss if an application might be listed, contact your Ward Borough Councillor during the 21 day consultation period.

If the application is to be decided by Committee, your comments will be summarised in the written report which goes to the members of the committee, and we will contact you and tell you when the Committee will take place.

In a very few cases the final decision on a planning application is taken by the Central Government Minister responsible for Planning.

Notification letters, site notices and lists give the name and telephone number of the Planning Case Officer dealing with the application. You can contact that officer with queries, or contact Development Control Administration or Planning Services Reception with general queries.

You can see a copy of the application at the Planning Services Reception. Copies of current applications are also available at Woodley Library. It may also be possible for you to see the copy sent to your local Town or Parish Council contact Clerk@hurst-pc.org.uk for details or contact Development Control Administration if you are unsure.

We can supply copies of applications and supporting information. We charge for copies. Please contact Development Control Administration for details.

Letters and site notices give a date by which comments should be sent to the Council. By law we have to give at least 21 days for comments on new applications. The government expects us to make decisions as quickly as reasonably possible, so while we will take into account any comments we receive up to the time the decision is made, we cannot guarantee that any comments received after the published date will be taken into account.

With large and complex applications there may be quite a long time lag before a decision is made, so it is worth checking with the Case Officer if more time may be available in individual cases.

You can write or email your comments. If you email us, at development.control@wokingham.gov.uk please include your postal address or e-mail address so we can contact you and let you know the decision on the application. Please quote the planning application reference number if you know it, or the address of the application, as it helps us to make sure that your comments reach the right file. Please remember that all comments submitted are open to public view and this includes the applicant.

We cannot accept verbal comments but if you have problems writing, let us know and we will help. If you wish to comment but would rather not give your name or address we can accept these but will be unable to inform you of the decision on the application.

Anyone can comment on a planning application, but in order for the comments to be taken into account they must be relevant to planning matters.

We will not take into account comments which are not relevant, or which are libellous, racist or offensive in other ways. Offensive comments will be returned to the sender.

As planning applications vary greatly it is difficult to be specific about exactly what is and isn't relevant to planning in every case. If you have specific queries, contact Development Control Administration by telephone on (0118) 974 6429 or in person at Planning Services Reception during office hours.

However, here are some general guidelines:

The relevant issues may include the following:

The Development Plan
Government planning guidance
Highway safety and traffic
Noise, disturbance and smells resulting from the proposed development
Design, appearance and layout
Conservation of buildings, trees and open land
Impact on the appearance of the area
Effect on the level of daylight and privacy of existing property
Need to safeguard the countryside or protected species of plant or animal
Planning case law and previous decisions
The need for the development
Planning history of the site

Matters which are not relevant include:

Matters covered by other laws apart from planning, such as alcohol licensing, or construction techniques
Private property rights such as covenants
The developer's identity, morals, motives or past record
Effect on the value of your property
The fact that development has already started
Trade objections based on competition
Moral objections such as an objection to gambling or a pub
Loss of a particular view
Inconvenience or other problems caused by building works

We value all the comments received. They will be read by the Case Officer, and while we cannot respond individually to the thousands of letters received each year, where they raise relevant matters which require further investigation we will follow this up. In the course of considering a planning application we consult your local Borough Councillor(s), other Council departments and other organisations such as Town and Parish Councils, ecological advisers, conservation organisations, the Environment Agency etc as appropriate. Comments from the public and Town and Parish Councils fulfil a valuable role in bringing matters of local concern to our attention.

Letters and emails will be placed on the application file and are available for anyone to see. The essence of public consultation is that it is public, so we cannot normally take into consideration material which respondents wish us to keep confidential.

Just because someone makes a valid objection to an application does not necessarily mean it will be refused or vice versa. All development has some impact, and the job of the planning officer, and the committee if it makes the decision, is to balance the impacts against all the other considerations, including planning policies and the reasonable expectations of the applicant. Sometimes the potential undesirable impacts can be minimised by the use of planning conditions.

It is not unusual for applications to be changed before they are decided. Often this is a consequence of comments made by consultees, and the applicant may submit revised drawings or additional information to the Council. The Case Officer will assess the changes, and if they are significant they will be publicised in the same way as the original application, and anyone who has already contacted the Council with comments will be notified. With revised applications a shorter period for consultation and the return of further comments is specified.