Planning, Highways & Licensing
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.
How to find out about a planning application
There are several ways in which you can find out information about a planning application
- All planning applications are submitted to Southend Borough Council and if your property is directly affected you should be notified by the Borough Council and given a deadline for submitting your comments. This notification is not necessarily very
widespread and usually only the immediate neighbours will receive a letter.
- If the Borough Council Planning Department considers that a proposal will have an impact on the
surrounding properties and on the overall appearance of the area, they will place a public
notice in the street. This notice will be attached to a tree or post outside the property.
- If you have access to the Internet you can check if anything
is going on in your street/area by logging on to www.southend.gov.uk. On the Home page select "Do it Online" then select "Take a Look." From this page you can select "Planning Applications" which will take you through to a page with "Public Access" the Borough Council’s Planning Application Database. Once you have accepted the Terms and Conditions this will take you to a page with menus on the left. You can search by Application number, if known, or Property,
entering details as appropriate, e.g. the street or postcode. Click the "Submit" button. From the index of applications that meet your search criteria, you can select a specific application to view its
significant details, e.g. the description of the proposal, the date when the public consultation period ends, the final
decision (if made) and any conditions that may have been applied. Once you have selected a specific application, you will see
that at the top of the screen there is a facility for you to make comments online. If you use this, you will get an
email back confirming receipt by the Borough Council and giving you a reference number.
- You can telephone Southend Borough Council’s planning staff on 01702 215004 (ask for "Development Control”)
Making your views known
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.
- You may choose to discuss the application with neighbours;
they may share your views.
- You can contact your local Town and Borough Councillors and
let them know your opinion. Borough Councillors can ‘call-in’ an application
(see below) and although your ward Councillors may not be on the Borough’s
- Development Control Committee, they may speak at the meeting
on your behalf.
- You can get in touch with your local residents’ association
who may make representation to both Councils.
- You can attend and address the committee meeting when the
application is being considered
Leigh-on-Sea Town Council's Role
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 Borough’s
consideration of the proposals.
The Town Council’s 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.
What happens at Southend-on-Sea Borough 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 Borough’s 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 Council’s 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 Council’s advice note for those wishing to speak at their
meetings is available at the Town Council office and on the Borough Council’s 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.
Notification of Decision
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 Council’s website. If an application is refused, the
applicant can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.
