Lighthorne Parish Council - Planning

How it works

Lighthorne Parish Council receives notification from Stratford District Council of all planning applications within the parish, and is treated by SDC as a consultee. If the parish council takes a position on an application that differs from the recommendation of the case officer, and submits that position before a stated deadline, then the application will go before SDC's Planning Committee East at the next meeting that has room on the agenda. The same applies if the Ward Member submits a response at odds with the case officer. If there are no representations made, or if they all concur with the case officer's recommendation, the case officer is able to make a decision under delegated powers and the Planning Committee need not be involved.

At the Planning Committee meeting the Ward Member is able to speak for 5 minutes, the Parish Council for 3 minutes, the applicant for 3 minutes, and others supporting or objecting may speak for a total of 3 minutes for each group. After speaking questions may be asked by members of the Planning Committee, but speakers may not make any other representation other than succinct answers to those questions. After speakers and questions the Planning Committee debate the application and then take a vote. The proceedings are recorded and may be reviewed from a few days after the meeting.

Residents intending to submit a planning application are welcome to discuss their application with the Parish Council, and are encouraged to approach all of their neighbours who might be affected before submitting their application. Consultation is an important part of the planning process. If your application is not controversial and does not meet with objections then the Parish Council will most likely not make any representation. If, however, your application receives strong objection or indeed strong support then the Parish Council will consider carefully whether to support or object to the application.

Anyone is able to submit comments in support or objecting to a planning application on the SDC planning web site. Your comments will be made public, including your name and address. After the application has been determined your comments are no longer visible. Individually worded comments with valid planning arguments may carry more weight than orchestrated comments where several people repeat the same thing verbatim. If you want to be alerted to new planning applications in your area you can sign up to SDC's planning application e-mail alerts.

Other than being able ensure the planning application is referred to the Planning Committee the influence of the Parish Council is limited, and certainly no guarantee of a decision one way or another. The table below shows planning applications on which the Parish Council has taken a position, with links to the application on the SDC web site, and to the webcast of the Planning Committee meeting.

Lighthorne Village lies within a Conservation Area. To understand the planning implications of this, visit the Conservation Areas page. The village also has a Village Plan produced in 2012, and a Housing Needs Assessment produced in 2013. These carry minimal weight when determining planning applications, the first because Village Plans have been superceded by Neighbourhood Plans, and the second because of its age. SDC maintain plans of Built Up Area Boundaries (BUAB) for settlements within the district, including Lighthorne village. All other factors being equal, applications for new development outside of the BUAB are less likely to gain support than those within the BUAB.

Having an adopted Neighbourhood Plan would increase the power of the Parish Council to influence the outcomes of planning applications. It would also increase the amount of financial benefit that the parish would receive as a result of development. You can read the legislation on this here. Creating and adopting a Neighbourhood Plan is a significant undertaking, but it does not have to be led by the Parish Council.

Reporting nuisances

Any activity that causes a nuisance from noise, smell, or another factor, is likely to need planning consent. If you are disturbed by any such persistent nuisance then this can be reported to Stratford District Council via their Nuisance web page.

Planning applications supported or opposed by Lighthorne Parish Council