In Response to a Planning Application
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How can I find out about Planning Applications?
Bristol City Council’s planning applications system is called Planning Online. This allows you to:
- Search for applications
- View weekly lists
- view application documents ie drawings, reports and comments
- make comments on an application,
- set up and save searches for example by ward and
Neighbourhood Partnership Area, and
- track an applications progress, and
- receive e-mail alerts relating to any searches or
tracking that you have set up
- see the case officers report and the notice of
decision
- find out about deadlines throughout the planning
process.
Go to Planning
Online to access the site.
You can sign up to receive notification of planning applications in your area.
You do not have to register to view applications or make comments, but you will need to register to track applications and get application notifications.
If you wish to be alerted by email to any planning application that is submitted in a specified area,
You can use the planning alert system in Bristol City Council's Planning Online (see link above) or an independent system called Planning Finder.
When is a Planning Application made?
Planning Applications will usually be needed for
- demolition and erection of buildings
- extensions
- alteration of buildings
- erection of advertisements
- external lighting
- impermeable areas of car hardstanding in front or back gardens.
A planning application is required for any development or changes to a building unless it is
Permitted Development
Some building works to single dwellings may be allowed under permitted development rights.
This includes e.g. most smaller extensions to houses or conversion of front gardens to parking spaces using impermeable materials over an area of 5 square metres or more.
Flats, maisonettes and 'houses' above basement flats do not have permitted development rights.
- trees
- boundary walls, front and other
How do I comment on a Planning Application?
You can respond on line or by letter to a Planning Application.
It is important that you give the relevant Planning Application Reference Number in your response.
If you are a neighbour, you should receive a letter telling you about the Application and giving you the details of what the Application is for and the name of the Planning Officer and the Application Reference Number you should quote in your response.
You can find details of what the Application is and a link to an online form for you to submit your response online through the Planning Online website accessed from this page.
You can also see comments that other people have made about applications; these are now automatically displayed with the drawings and other documents for each application.
How do I make a counter statement if the Community Involvement Statement is not correct?
You can submit a counterstatement to the developer's Community Involvement Statement which is submitted with the Planning Application and put onto the website with the other planning application documents eg drawings and Design and Access Statement.
The developer is advised to get his Community Involvement Statement signed off by the local group so that the planning officer knows that it is correct.
If the CIS is not countersigned by the group, the group can sent their own CI statement to the planning officer.
This should give information about why you think the process was incorrectly reported- eg if the developer reported meetings or events that didn't take place with the group,
or if the developer has not reported
what issues the group raised and
how the application has been changed in response to those issues,
or if not why not.
What should I say when I comment on a Planning Application?
Who makes the decision about whether an Application is permitted or refused?
Applications may be decided by the Planning Officers under what are called 'delegated decisions'
or by the full planning committee.
Planning Officer's Role
The Planning Officer is the Officer of the Council who deals with a Planning Application. They write a report on the Application (and a recommendation about whether or not it should be granted planning permission).
In most cases the Officer (under supervision of their Senior Manager) has delegated powers to make the decision.
The Officer’s report can usually be seen by members of the public upon request – most often after the decision has been made in delegated cases, but a few days before the Application is considered where the decision is made by a Planning Committee.
Can I make a statement at the planning committee [Development Management] meeting?
See link for how to apply to make a verbal statement at the meeting.
