What powers does Deerhurst Parish Council have with respect to planning applications?
Deerhurst Parish Council is consulted by the relevant Planning Authority (Tewkesbury Borough Council) on all planning applications. Any views expressed by the Parish Council will be taken into account by the Planning Authority before a decision is made, providing the points made are relevant to the determination of a planning application.
The final decision is made by the Planning Authority, not the Parish Council.
Deerhurst Parish Council will only comment on what are known as “material considerations” – issues, for example, such as boundary disputes between neighbours will not be considered. Once completed, the Neighbourhood Development Plan will guide all Parish Council responses.
Do parish councils grant planning permission?
Town and parish councils are not Planning Authorities. Town and parish councils are only statutory consultees in the planning process.
This means that they only have the right to be informed of planning applications within the parish.
They cannot approve or reject planning applications.
They can only comment on planning applications in the same way that individuals can comment.
Consequently the length of time taken to determine a planning application is governed by the local planning authority not the parish council.
A parish council can request that it be given extra time to comment on an application.
The decision whether this is granted rests solely with the planning authority and its own deadlines for decision making.
How do parish councils comment on planning applications?
Parish councils can only agree to comment on planning applications in properly called council or committee meetings which the public can attend.
The comments agreed in the council meeting are submitted in writing by the parish clerk to the relevant planning authority.
The process is exactly the same as that of an individual wishing to comment on a planning application.
Parish councils are statutory consultees and have no powers to approve or reject planning applications, they can only comment or not on applications.
Current Planning Applications
October 2024
None to date