Planning Applications

Most planning applications (although there are exceptions) are made to Cherwell District Council who then have responsibility to ask all interested parties including neighbouring properties, the County Council and the Parish Council for their views on the development.

The Parish Council is, therefore, a consultee. The issues the Parish Council Is able to consider include:

loss of privacy/impact on residential amenity
overshadowing/overbearing impact
highway safety, traffic and parking issues
noise
visual amenity/street scene
wildlife
historic buildings and conservation
flooding
design, and materials
appearance of the development
capacity of infrastructure – schools/public transport etc

Issues the Parish Council is NOT able to consider include:

loss of view
effect on property values
private rights
boundary disputes, and
construction noise

Planning applications are considered at the next available Parish Council meeting and included on the agenda; links to the appropriate section of the CDC Planning Portal are also included on the Agenda and Minutes section of the Website.

The Parish Council is able to engage with developers of all sizes before an application is submitted to the planning authority (CDC), particularly as local information can often help the developer form their plans. However, the Parish Council has to be very careful not to pre-determine the outcome of any discussions and has to be mindful of all who may be affected by the proposal (not just the applicant) – whether positively or negatively.

Therefore, the Council is not able to ‘support’ an application until it is submitted to the Planning Authority. A protocol on pre-application meetings for developments has been adopted to help guide the Council and applicants.