Responding to a planning application
last updated 19.9.10

Get your facts right

When a planning application is submitted to the council, the planning process kicks in. The first time you are informed about it is in fact the beginning of a consultation period usually 21 days from the date the letter arrived on your doorstep.

Getting such consultation letter strongly indicates, that the development the letter is informing you about, IS VERY NEAR TO YOU!

Depending on the scale and nature of the development, chances are, you are going to be effected one way or another if it gets the go ahead. The most important thing at this early stage, is to find out as much information as you possibly can, both about the development and the developer.

These days developers are often required to submit either a full Environmental Impact Assessment or similar as part of their planning application. Those reports are part of the application file, publicly available either in your local library, council offices or/and on line.

Click here for Haringey planning services portal

Finding out information on the developer can be important and is easily done on line. Find out who they are and what is the nature of their business. If they operate in other places, you might like to talk to people who live next to it, find out about their experiences. You can then form your views based on reality, rather then on what the developer is stating in their application.

Having informed yourself on all aspects of the development and the developer, combined with your own knowledge of your local area, you should be able to assess the potential impact it may have on your life, your family, your neighbourhood and in some cases the larger community and/or the environment.

If you like the development, great! You can make representation in favour. However if alarm bells are ringing in your mind, then you can object to the application.

The first step is writing an objection letter.

Writing an objection letter

Writing in with your comments is very important part of the planning consultation process. Doing so ensures (In an ideal world of course) that you are kept informed by the council, on the various stages and decisions with regard to this planning application.

The aim of writing an objection letter is to either

• Stop the development or
• Control any potential impact by applying appropriate planning conditions.

Your letter should give the 'planning case officer' GOOD REASONS, why in your view, the application should be turned down.

Your best assets are your 'common sense' and the information you gathered about the application and the applicant. Outline your concerns and how you perceive the proposed development, will effect your life, your community and/or the environment.

If you can quote some 'planning guide lines' in opposition to the proposed development that is even better. Start by looking at the Haringey Development Plan (or your local UDP) More about the Haringey Development Plan. It is a large document, but don't despair, you don't need to read it all! Looking through the index will give you an idea, which sections could help to frame your reasoning.

These Planning guidelines are what the planning officer should base his final report which is his recommendation to the Planting Sub Committee.

You may ask for a Development Control Forum to be organised by the council (if you face resistance, you will need 25 signatures requesting one.
Development Control Forum explained | page1 | page 2

Ask to be kept informed on all stages of this development.

There are many good examples of objection letters on our site have a look here.

Send us a copy of your letter

So we can make it available to others on this web site.
Click here to email us your letter

Informing the wider community

When a large scale development is proposed near you, you may feel that the impact it will bring about, if allowed, is not acceptable and potentially have a negative effect on your community and environment as a whole.

In such cases you will most definitely need to do MORE then writing an individual objection letter. Here is what you can do :

In order to have better chances to actually achieving your aim you will need all the help and support you can get. Informing the wider community about the application would be a positive step in the right direction. If the way you feel about it, resonate with other members of your community, you will not have a hard time gathering the support of many.

Time is short and you want to reach as many people as possible. There are many ways one can choose to create an interest, the following would attempt to inspire you with some practical and easy to do ideas.

Read 'The power of Persuasion' from Hornsey Magazine, April 2006
page 1 page 2

Keep the local press informed

In many communities there are more then one local weekly paper. Some are delivered through your letter box, others available in local shops. They are all interested to hear and cover your story. Don't get bogged down trying hard to produce a sleek press release, you will have plenty of times to practice this skill later on. Just pick up the phone and call them.

Make sure the press have all the relevant information you want the public to know like:

• How they might be effected if the application is approved and
• What they can do about it
• Provide information on who to write to , location and dates of your next meetings and your contact details of course...

Talk to your friends & neighbours, ask them to do the same

Word of mouth is by far the most effective way to get people's attention. Tell as many people what you know about the planning application.

Councils often perform poorly on consultation so you can't assume that people are informed about it.

In the case of the Concrete Batching Plant application, only one letter was sent per house and it appears letters were sent only to Uplands road and Whiteman road and were delivered, only to one side of the road, where residents will be able to see the development from their back gardens! So many people in Stroud Green, Hornsey, Harringay and Crouch End were totally unaware of this development.

However, the action of many using the suggestions offered on this page and their own creative impulse, have created a wave of awareness resulting in 120 people turning up to the first Development Control Forum (public meeting). In this meeting Haringey agreed to extend the consultation both in terms of number of letters sent and time to make comments, as a direct result of people opposition.

Set up your first meeting

The aim of your first meeting is to form a core group of willing and committed like minded people, to take this forward. Often those who will be most effected, would also be the most dedicated to the cause, so you need not look too far. Invite some members from other local groups and your local councillors, they might have experience, you can learn from and useful contacts.  

• Discuss the issues, talking about it, may help to crystallise your views and so is, listening to others’ views. Each can bring new and fresh ideas, you have not thought of before.
• Make a plan of action and break it to tasks list.
• Establish who is willing and able to do what.
• Don't forget to exchange contact details
• Set up time for your next meeting.

Collect petition signatures

Collecting signatures for your petition will demonstrate the public support of a particular view. But it also give you the perfect opportunity to tell more people about it and invite them to join your growing group. A group of 20 people could effortlessly collect 200 signatures if each collect only 10 signature. Local shops may agree to keep some petition forms by their till along with any leaflets newsletter or hang your poster on their shop front.

Setting up information street stalls could be an effective way to generate interest As well as the obvious door to door petitioning on your street.

During the life time of the concrete factory planning application, GreenN8 submitted petitions on 4 occasions:

• In September 04 | 1535 signature has been submitted to haringey a long with the first GreenN8 Statement of Objection. (First application)
• In July 05 | over 1900 signature have been collected.(Second application)
• In October 05|over 3000 signature have been collected and submitted to Haringey. (Panning sub committee)
• December 05 |Over 7000 new signatures submitted (Appeal public inquiry)

Display a poster on your window

Window poster are good idea too, they can be displayed on your window or in sympathetic local shops, libraries community centres schools play groups, trees and lamp post.

Read 'The power of Persuasion' from Hornsey Magazine, April 2006
page 1 page 2

Contact Excutive member for Enterprise and Regeneration

Business support and employment initiatives, Cultural industries, Economic regeneration, External funding, Haringey Strategic Partnership, Key sites, Planning, Policy and partnerships, Regeneration programme performance,rban Futures.

Councillor Kaushika Amin

River Park House
225 High Road
Wood Green
London
N22 8HQ

Support officer: George Peradigou
Tel 020 8489 2687
executive.members@haringey.gov.uk

Contact Excutive member for Planning and Regeneration

Better Haringey, Conservation, Parking, Recreation and leisure services (including parks and open spaces), Recycling,
Street Scene, Transport.

Councillor Toni Mallett Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration
07870 157883
toni.mallett@haringey.gov.uk

Surgery details:
2nd and 4th Saturday of each month
11.30am - 12.30pm
Broadwater Farm Community Centre
Adams Road, Tottenham, N17
Councillor's surgery map (external link)

Support officer:
Richard Burbidge
Phone: 020 8489 2923
Fax: 020 8881 2660
Email: richard.burbidge@haringey.gov.uk

Contact Haringey planning department

Planning, Environmental Policy and Performance
Environmental Services Directorate Planning,
Environmental Policy and Performance.
639 High Road, Tottenham, London, N17 8BD
development.control@haringey.gov.uk

Haringey planning services portal

Councillors on the Planning subcommittee

Click here for Haringey planning subcommittee page

Sheila Peacock - Chair

Surgery details
email SheilaPeacock
Tel: 020 8808 9160

Stuart McNamara- Vice-Chair

Surgery details
email Stuart
Mobile: 07854 544696

Joanna Christophides

Surgery details
email Joanna
Mobile: 07854 544697

Reg Rice

Surgery details
email Reg
Mobile: 07854 002078

Ann Waters

Surgery details
email Ann
Mobile: 07854 002470

David Beacham

Surgery details
email David
Mobile: 07528 443838

Katherine Reece

Surgery details
email Katherine
Mobile: 07854 002554

Errol Reid

Surgery details
email Errol
Mobile: 07866 775731

David Schmitz

Surgery details
email David
Mobile: 07854 002742

Any other ideas

If you have any other useful ideas of how to campaign please drop us a line and we will endeavour to include them here.

Donate to GreenN8

We finally have a bank account were we invite everyone to donate as much as your heart and pocket permits.

Account name: GreenN8
Bank: Halifax
sort code: 11-07-42
account no: 00388583

Funds can be paid in:

• By direct transfer
• Deposit cheque or cash directly into the account in the local Halifax branch
• By cheque, payable to GreenN8. Please send or delivered to GreenN8, 22 Uplands Road, London N8 9NL

The money is collected to cover the cost of hiring consultants, experts, commissioning independent reports and covering costs of printing or any other expenses.