Leigh-on-Sea Town Council have chosen to be a consultee regarding planning applications submitted within the area. Southend Borough Council notify us of all the applications within the Town Council area. We then print the plans and application off for consideration at the twice monthly Planning and Licensing meetings. Members of the public can call into our offices at any time to inspect the plans and attend the Planning and Licensing meeting to express their views.
There are several ways in which you can find out information about a planning application
Whether you support or oppose a planning application, both the Town Council and the Borough Council are keen to receive any comments you may have and all relevant points are taken into account when the application is assessed.
Post your comments, quoting the address of the property and planning reference number if known, to Leigh-on-Sea Town Council or email us and to the Borough's Planning Department to Peter Geraghty, Acting Head of Planning and Transport, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue,Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6ER or to planningregistrationteam@southend.gov.uk
You may wish to let others know your views.
The Town Council has no power to determine planning applications. It is, however, consulted by the Borough Council on all applications in its area and its views are taken into account in the Boroughs consideration of the proposals.
The Town Councils Planning Committee usually meets on the
second and fourth Tuesdays in the month at 7:30pm in the Council Chambers at Leigh Community Centre. The
dates and times of the meetings and the applications which are to be considered
are placed on the town noticeboards and on our website on the Thursday before each
meeting.
The meetings of the Planning Committee are formal sessions of the Town Council and the public is asked to respect the importance of the deliberations and behave accordingly. However, if a member of the pubic wishes to speak, the Chairman will adjourn the meeting to hear comments. The meeting will then be reconvened for the Councillors decision to be made. The decision is conveyed to the Borough Council along with any letters of representation which have been received by the Town Council.
The Borough Council is the statutory planning authority for the borough. Most planning applications are dealt with by the Borough Planning Officers under delegated powers. This means that they will not be considered by the Boroughs Development Control Committee unless they are specifically `called-in for committee consideration. Plans can only be called-in for valid planning reasons. If you feel that an application should be determined by Councillors and not officers, you can ask your local Borough Councillor to call it in -but this must be done within 21 days of the application being officially `registered. The Committee meets every four weeks on a Wednesday at 2pm in the Civic Centre; the dates and agenda are published on the Borough Councils website, or can also be obtained by phoning 01702 215000.
If an application is to be decided at a meeting of the Development Control Committee and you wish to address the meeting personally, then you must let the Borough Council know as soon as possible. You will be notified of the arrangements and given information as to the procedure. A copy of the Borough Councils advice note for those wishing to speak at their meetings is available at the Town Council office and on the Borough Councils website. Be aware that you are only given a limited time to speak, and that only one member of the public may speak for an application (we advise to appoint a spokesperson if there is a group of people wanting to raise issue with the same application) the applicant also has a right of reply.
If you made a formal submission about an application, the Borough Council will write to let you know the decision. You may also phone the Town Council or the Borough Council -please quote the planning reference number if you have it. The outcome will also be published in the Planning Applications Database on Borough Councils website. If an application is refused, the applicant can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.
If you would like to view a planning application you can search for it via Southend Borough Council's Planning Portal here using the reference number if known or postcode.
Copies of plans can also be viewed at the Leigh Town Council office, situated on the Ground Floor of Leigh Community Centre.
Southend Borough Council's local plan is emerging and Leigh Town Council have been involved in the 'issues and opportunities' stages of the consultations.
Leigh-on-Sea Town Council were recently awarded funding from marine management organisation to undertake spatial plans of Old Leigh in partnership with the North Thames Fisheries Local Action Group.