Planning Committee

The majority of planning applications are dealt with by council officers under delegated powers from the planning committee, as they are relatively straightforward. Approximately 20% are referred to councillors to make decision.   There is a single planning committee comprising selected district councillors and presided over by the chairman. Anyone can attend the meetings.   In some cases, the committee may decide to inspect the site of the proposal before reaching a decision.    Parishes within East Hampshire are Buriton, Colemore and Priors Dean, East Meon, Froxfield, Greatham, Hawkley, Langrish, Liss, Petersfield, Sheet, Steep, Stroud, Clanfield, Horndean, Rowlands Castle, Bramshott and Liphook,  Whitehill, Lindford, Grayshott, Headley, Alton, Beech, Bentley, Bentworth, Binsted, Chawton, East Tisted, Farringdon, Four Marks, Froyle, Kingsley, Lasham, Medstead, Newton Valence, Ropley, Selborne, Shalden,  Upper Farringdon, West Tisted, Wield, Worldham   (parishes in bold or partial bold type are all or partly within the South Downs National Park)   What happens at the meeting   As well as district councillors, planning officers attend the meetings to present each item and answer questions about the cases. Specialist highway engineers, landcaping, conservation and legal officers may also be present to answer questions on particular cases. Although the planning officer will have made a recommendation on a planning application based on local plan policies, it is councillors who make the decision.   Not all applications will achieve a decision at the first committee. Councillors may decide to defer the decision until they have made a site visit, discuss amendments to design, parking or other matters, or request further information from the applicant. The application will normally be reported to the next committee, at which a decision should be made.   South Downs National Park   As from 1 April 2011, East Hampshire District Council is acting as an agent for the South Downs National Park Authority. Under this arrangement, the Council can determine planning applications on sites within the South Downs National Park area of the district on behalf of the National Park Authority. Each planning committee meeting will be divided into two main parts;   Part 1 – East Hampshire District Council   This part of the meeting will consider applications and related planning matters which are being determined or considered by the Council as the Local Planning Authority.   Part 2 – South Downs National Park Authority   This part of the meeting will consider applications and related planning matters which fall within East Hampshire District’s area of the South Downs National Park and which the Council is determining or considering on behalf of the South Downs National Park Authority.   Chairing the meeting   The chairman's role is to control the conduct of the meeting. They can vote like other councillors but also have a casting vote when the votes are equal.   The role is supported by a senior planning officer who will give professional advice on each of the applications, a solicitor and an officer who records the decisions.   The vice-chairman takes the chair in the chairman's absence.   Public speaking at the Planning Committee   We have a scheme that allows people to address the Council’s Planning Committee on particular applications but there are some rules that must be followed   You can speak only on a planning application where:  

1.          you have submitted comments in writing within the publicised date for comments; and;

2.          that application is to be determined by the Planning Committee.   For further advice on the rules governing speaking at meetings please read the Protocol for Public Speaking at Planning Committee or contact the officer named in the agenda for the meeting, you are interested in.   What counts as a letter of objection? All letters of representation are taken into consideration and referred to in the officer’s report. However, to count as a letter of objection for the purposes of determining items where public speaking will apply, each letter must be written so that it is unique to the objector. Letters which say the author objects but do not give reasons will not be counted. Signatures on petitions will not be counted as individual objections.   To be material, the objection must be related to the development and use of land in the public interest and must fairly and reasonably relate to the application concerned.