Information for Members of the Public concerning County Council Procedures
The following are a series of Advisory Notes which members of the public may find
useful.
For further information on how the County Council operates, how decisions are made
and the procedures which are followed can be found in the Constitution
of the County Council
Asking questions at meetings (pdf 375 KB)
Presenting a petition (pdf 373KB)
Making
representations about planning applications
(pdf 321 KB)
Your rights to attend meetings and inspect papers (pdf 378 KB)
Making Representations about Planning Applications, Tree Preservation Orders and Public Rights of Way
The County Council is responsible for determining planning applications for mineral
extraction, waste treatment and disposal and its own development proposals including any variations
or other determinations. It is also responsible for determining matters concerned with Tree Preservation
Orders made by the County Council and public rights of way. Normally these are dealt with by the Development
Control and Regulatory Board on the Council’s behalf.
This guidance note sets out how local people can express their views to the Board
about those planning matters for which it has responsibility.
- People are able to make representations to the Council in writing about matters the Council is determining. Any comments received are referred to in the appropriate report to the Board and the documents are made available for inspection.
- Meetings of the Board are normally open to the public. They usually take place at County Hall, Glenfield. They are held at monthly intervals on a Thursday, starting at 2.00 p.m. Anyone can attend the meetings and a list of dates can be provided on request and is available on the County Council’s Website (www.leics.gov.uk).
- The County Council has a procedure enabling people to address the Development Control and Regulatory Board about planning and related (as referred to above) proposals to be determined by the County Council. It does not extend to those matters on which the County Council is merely a consultee.
- People who wish to speak must notify the appropriate Committee Officer in the Chief Executive’s Department (presently Ms. J. Bailey, tel. 0116 305 6225) no later than 10.00 a.m. on the day prior to the relevant meeting of the Board.
- To find out when the item that you are interested in will be considered by the Board you are asked to keep in regular contact with the relevant case officer. (If you have received a letter accompanying this leaflet the case officer’s name will be set out in that letter). It is stressed that the onus is on people wishing to speak to find out the date and time of the relevant meeting.
- People wishing to speak will be dealt with on a first come first served basis. In all cases objectors will be allowed to speak before the applicant or the applicant’s supporters. The request to speak must therefore be accompanied by an indication of whether comments will be against or in support of the proposal.
- Individual speakers will be allowed up to 5 minutes to present their case. Sometimes this time limit may have to be reduced and/or the number of people able to speak limited, because of the length of the agenda and the number of requests received. This will be decided by the chairman of the meeting. They may not join in the subsequent debate.
- Where a number of people wish to speak on the same matter, in the interests of the efficient conduct of the meeting, they may be asked to nominate a person to speak on their behalf. (For example one representative might be sought to speak on behalf of an Action Group/Residents Group/the Applicant). In these circumstances the Chairman of the Board will have discretion to permit additional time to this spokesperson.
- Members of the Board may not question the speakers unless it is to raise a point of clarification.
- The Board will not accept any written submissions or other evidence brought forward by speakers to the meetings. All submissions of this nature must be sent to the Director of Community Services well before the meeting, so that the Board can be told of the content and have officer advice on the issues raised.
- Speakers should confine themselves to matters relevant to the decision the Board is being asked to take and should concentrate on the effects of the proposal in terms of Structure Plan and Local Plan Policies, Government guidance and Orders, case law, highway safety, disturbance to the environment and to them as local residents.
- Normally items will be dealt with in the order listed on the agenda. The Board may, however, take an item earlier if large numbers of people attend in relation to it.
- Each item will be dealt with in the following order:-
- The appropriate officer of the County Council will present the report.
- Speakers will address the Board in the following order:-
- Objectors
- Supporters
- Applicant
- Members of the Board may raise a point of clarification at the end of any speech.
- The debate will take place after all speakers have been heard. Any member of the County Council wishing to speak under the Authority’s sensitive issues procedure will be called upon to speak for up to 5 minutes at an early stage in that debate. Members of the Board may receive advice from officers.
- A decision will then be taken.
Information
contained in this note can be provided in other formats, for example, in large type. Please ring 0116
305 6034.
COPIES OF THE REPORTS ETC FOR MEETINGS OF THE BOARD WILL APPEAR ON
THE COUNTY COUNCIL’S WEBSITE (www.leics.gov.uk)
5 DAYS BEFORE THE MEETING
For advice about this procedure, or any other matter relating to meetings of the
County Council, and its other Committees please speak to David Pitt, Head of Democratic Services (tel:
0116 305 6034), or one of the other Committee Officers in the Chief Executive’s Department. They will
be pleased to assist you.
Page Last Updated: 12 February 2007
