Local Planning Applications
Tregony with Cuby Parish Council, in common with all other parish and town councils, is a statutory consultee for all planning applications for developments within the parish. This means that the parish council has the opportunity to comment on all such applications before they are determined by the Local Planning Authority (LPA), Cornwall Council. The decision on each application is taken by the LPA (apart from applications that are called in by the Secretary of State) and the parish council does not have a veto as to whether or not an application should be approved. However, the LPA must consider the parish council’s comments as part of the process of deciding whether to grant permission or to refuse it.
In line with the above, the parish council will consider those applications within its parish as soon as possible after the applications have been validated by the LPA. They will usually do this at each month’s parish council meeting, or if a parish council planning committee has been established, at that committee’s meeting. These meetings are open to the public and local residents or interested parties can attend and present their own views on the applications before the parish council debates the items. With some applications, e.g. generally, with applications for works to trees, the parish council may not comment but will leave Cornwall Council's tree officer to express their view.
Any resident, in fact anyone who wishes to, can express their views on any particular planning application directly to Cornwall Council. The easiest way to do this is to log into the Council planning portal and to make comments online against the relevant application. In order to make comments, it is necessary first to register with the planning portal and to log in each time that you make a comment. The system is fairly straightforward and details are on the website. Please note, however, that the decision on whether or not to approve a particular planning application is based upon the material planning considerations, not on the number of comments in support or against the application. Guidance upon what constitutes material planning considerations can be found on the government planning portal.
Most planning applications are determined by the relevant planning officer under what is known as delegated powers. A small proportion are determined by a Council planning committee comprised of a number of Cornwall Councillors. When there is difference of opinion on an application between the planning officer and the parish council, the planning officer will issue a formal notice to the parish council asking them to decide whether, having seen the officer’s recommendation, they now wish: a) to change their minds and agree with the officer; or b) whether they will agree to disagree; or c) whether they wish to maintain their position and ask that the application is determined by the planning committee. In that case, the local divisional Cornwall Councillor will be asked whether he/she supports the application being taken to a committee or that the application should be determined under delegated powers anyway. If the application is to be taken to a committee, the planning reasons for doing so must be provided by the divisional member.