Appeal Step 1 – Objection letters

There will be 28 days to lodge written objections to the appeal (Except in the case of a Householder appeal).  

The key issues related to the planning appeal will already have been identified and any letters at the appeal stage should refer to matters that are contained within the following key documents

• The Grounds of Appeal - will set out why the developer believes the council decision should be modified  
• The Local Planning Decision
• The Planning Officers Report  - will provide details of the issues and relevant planning policies including how they relate to the application
• The planning and appeal decisions of any previous planning applications for the site - or sites that may form a precedence

For the best objection letters at appeal

• Obtain the key documents and study these very closely
• Use your letter to help and compliment the council’s activity to object to the planning appeal. The council will have experts on planning policy and should address the technical planning aspects very effectively. (The residents have knowledge that the council is unlikely to know and can make statements that the council is unable to state)
• Similar to the previous advice on objection letters at the local level  

1. Use the correct Planning Inspectorate address, date and ‘appeal’ reference number
2. Make absolutely certain that you submit your letter to the Planning Inspectorate and it arrives by the cut-off date. Any correspondence submitted after this date will be returned unread by the inspector making the decision
3. Set out your basic statement of objection and your knowledge of the site
4. Make specific reference to the GoA and use supporting information from the other key documents.  Make sure that you have the most up-to-date files that form the planning application as these may have been updated
5. Generally, you should restrict any appeal points to matters that address the arguments presented in the GoA. If there are also planning issues the council failed to consider or the council treated with insufficient weight then these too can be mentioned in the appeal objection letter
6. In some circumstance it can be beneficial to express concerns related to the character and veracity of the developer or the owner. Care should be taken to be truthful, polite and to avoid any situation where insults are made or a case for libel may form. If the owner or developer has tried to ‘play games’ this may help the Inspector understand the limited value of any assurances that may be provided by the developer or the likely compliance to any conditions that may be placed on a planning permission.  

Introduction to the planning appeal process

Cont..

Disclaimer

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