The Council is committed to extending public participation in the planning process. Members of the public are welcome to put their views on a planning proposal directly to the Development Control Committee when planning applications are being considered. The Council wants this procedure to be easy to use and fair to all who are participating.

Letters of support or objection will also continue to be taken into account.

The information below answers some of the questions you might have about the procedures and what to expect at the meeting itself. It also explains how and when you speak.

Only on those items which are due to be determined by the Development Control Committee. All major developments go to Committee, also applications 'listed' by local District Councillors because of local planning concerns. The vast majority of the applications are however, determined by planning officers under 'delegated powers' and do not come to Committee.

These meetings are held in Committee rooms 1 and 2 in the Civic Offices, Shute End, Wokingham. Normally meetings take place on a three weekly cycle. They are held on a Wednesday evening and start at 7.00pm.

There will be a maximum of nine minutes public speaking time allotted to each development proposal. This time is divided between the following categories;

· Town or Parish Council (3 minutes in total)
· Objectors (3 minutes in total)
· Applicants, agents or supporters (3 minutes in total)

The Council will inform all of the above of the date of the Committee meeting, the planning officer's recommendation and the process for public speaking. Where more than one person wishes to speak within a particular category, either a spokesperson can be mutually agreed to speak on behalf of all within that category or the three minutes shared. The time limit cannot be exceeded.

People who wish to speak should contact the Democratic Services section by telephone, post, fax or e-mail by no later than 5.00 pm on the last working day before the relevant meeting, (usually Tuesday). Contact details are given at the end of this form.

Please remember to state your name, address, daytime contact number, planning application reference, the proposed development to which it refers and whether you wish to speak in support of, or against, the application.

Yes. Additional visual material, including plans and photographs, may be produced at the meeting, please do not duplicate any material in the Committee Agenda. This information will be taken into account in any decision. However, it must be in the form of A4 size transparencies, so it can be displayed onto a screen for the Committee to see. Papers cannot be circulated during the meeting. All speakers must arrange production of their own transparencies. The Council regrets it is unable to assist in this matter. Time spent using such material for explanatory purposes is included within the 3 minutes.

The Chairman will announce the application and a planning officer will give an introduction. Then the following groups of speakers will be invited to address the Committee, in the following order:

· Parish or Town Council
· Objector (s)
· Applicants or the agents/supporters

Members of the Committee will not question speakers unless the Chairman considers there are relevant matters raised which are not covered in the officer's report. Members may then seek clarification from Council staff on particular points, prior to making their decision.

This will depend on the application, but should be restricted to matters covered by planning legislation. Examples may include;

· Government guidance and Local/Structure Plan Policies
· The Development Plan
· Noise, disturbance and smells resulting from the proposed development
· Highway safety and traffic
· Design, appearance and layout
· Residential amenity
· 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 development
· Previous planning history of the site.

When determining applications, the Committee is not permitted to take into account matters, which are outside the remit of planning. Examples may 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

Yes, reports can be seen online via the Local Democracy section of the Council's Website.

www.wokingham.gov.uk - use the 'quick links' box to go straight to Agenda and Minutes

Note 1: Reports on-line do not at present include drawings and are presented in PDF Format.
Note 2: A limited number of Agendas will be available in the Committee Room at the meeting.

If you have any queries on these arrangements, have any questions not answered by this page or require further assistance please contact:

Richard May,
Senior Democratic Services Officer
Legal and Democratic Services
Wokingham District Council,
Shute End,
Wokingham, RG40 1WQ

Telephone: 0118 974 6052
Fax: 0118 974 6057
Email: democratic.services@wokingham.gov.uk