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 Councils 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 Councils 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 Boroughs
• 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 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.

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 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.

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 Councils website. If an application is refused, the applicant can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

Finding a Planning Application

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.