The Planning Application Process
Applicants should be aware that information submitted with a
planning application, including details of the agent and applicant,
is public information. These details, along with electronic images
of the main documents, areavailable via the web site. Certain
personal information contained in application paperwork which is
not specifically relative to the application itself, for example an
applicant’s home telephone number or personal email address, is not
made available on the web site.
Your planning application will be acknowledged within a few
days. If you have employed an agent they will receive all
correspondence about your application. The application will be
placed on the Planning Register where it can be inspected by any
interested member of the public and details will also be made
available on the Council’s web site. If appropriate we will notify
your neighbours and put up a notice on or near the site. In certain
cases, applications are also advertised in a local newspaper. This
gives the public the opportunity to express their views. If
applicable the parish or town council will be notified in addition
to other bodies such as the Environment Agency and relevant
Government Offices.
Anyone can comment on your proposals. Planning officers will
assess the relevance of comments and, in the light of them, may
suggest minor changes to the application to overcome any
difficulties.
The Decision Process
A report may be written for Committee, which is made up of
elected councillors, but in most cases the Head of
Planning and Policy will have delegated authority to decide your
application and it will not need to go to a committee.
Major applications are decided by the Strategic Planning Board.
As well as determining major planning applications, the Board also
oversees the workload of the committees, reviews working protocols
and comments on existing and emerging policy.The Strategic Planning
Board meets every 3 weeks on Wednesdays in Sandbach.
(Please note from January 2010 Strategic Planning Board
will meet in Macclesfield and not in Sandbach).
Two area Committees (Northern and Southern Committees) deal
with other applications that are not delegated to the Head of
Planning and Policy and are not required to go to Strategic
Board. The Northern and Southern committees meet every three
weeks on Wednesdays in Macclesfield and Crewe respectively.
The reports and any background papers used in their preparation
are available for public inspection. The background papers will
generally include the comments of consultees, objectors and
supporters which are relevant to the determination of the
application.
Following the decision on the application, either at Committee
or through delegated powers, we will send a decision notice
outlining the nature of the decision and any conditions that have
to be satisfied before you can commence development.
Planning permission may only be one of the approvals that you
need to undertake your project. In most cases building regulation
approval will also be required for the details of the construction.
Other
consents may also be required.