A well-structured letter using key points and making reference to planning policy will be much more effective than an angry letter, no matter how sincere. Remember, there is a lot of weight given to your objection if you can support your case with relevant planning policies.

1. Use the correct Local Authority address, date and planning officer’s name (phone and introduce yourself to the planning officer and build a good relationship)
2. Ensure you include the planning application number and a brief summary of the application
3. Set out your basic statement of objection and your knowledge of the site
4. For the best objection letters there is no doubt that it is very useful to make specific reference to planning policies that the application clashes with (eg “paragraph 12 of PPS9 states that development should maintain bio­-diver­sity networks, however, this development would reduce the boundary length between the adjacent woods and the canal habitat”.).  It should be noted that

• For any novice to the planning system this can be very difficult and time consuming. Even then a very poor and difficult to follow argument can be the result
• It is often better to write a good letter that puts across excellent points that lacks reference numbers and quotations

1. Mention site-specific local policy and any relevant planning history of the site (eg “this proposal is poorly linked to public transport and is therefore also contrary to paragraph 26 of PPG13”)
2. Be selective in your arguments - It is better to make four good points in a succinct manner, than to ramble on about 10 things, where 6 can be easily negated by the developer or have little weighting.  
3. Emphasise all the community interests that are affected and not just personal impacts (for example, don’t talk about losing the field to walk your dog but rather about the loss of community leisure space)
4. Tie in the community interests to development control policy where possible.
5. Stress the extent of local and community group support for your objection (any local groups and societies that agree with you will help your case, and don’t forget the support of the local expert on birds, archaeology, etc)
6. State your wish to speak at the planning committee meeting
7. If the planning proposal is small and relates to a residential property there may be no opportunity to comment further if the matter goes to appeal (See Householder Appeal in a related article). As such any objection letter should ensure that it incorporates all important matters
8. The documentation including plans, drawings and reports submitted with the planning application may be very extensive. It is important to review the content and where there are material errors or misrepresentation then these should be brought to the attention of the planning officer within an objection letter
9. Similarly, the absence of key documents should be highlighted.  If the proposal is large then it is reasonable to expect evidence that the developer consulted with the neighbours and considered changes to improve the general acceptance

A checklist for a letter of objection

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The information and opinions within this site are for information purposes only. They are not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice, and should not be relied on or treated as a substitute for specific advice relevant to particular circumstances. Local Planning Apps shall accept no responsibility for any errors, omissions or misleading statements on this site or for any loss which may arise from reliance on information contained within this site. No mention of any products, shall imply any approval or warranty as to the standing and capability of any such products on the part of Local Planning Apps or its clients.

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