The Planning Committee meets every six weeks to consider the Schedule of Applications and other Reports.
Forthcoming meetings
Planning Committees are usually held on a Wednesday and starts at 10.30am.
Visit the Committee details page for more information.
The Planning Schedule and Agenda will be available by midday, 8 days before the meeting. The Planning Minutes and Decision Schedule will be available after the meeting.
Once the agenda has been confirmed, the venue of the meeting will be set.
Not all planning applications are reported to the planning committee for a decision. The Assistant Director Inclusive Growth and Placemaking may decide some items under delegated powers. You cannot address the Committee on delegated matters.
If you wish to know if or when an application is going to Committee, please check online or contact the case officer.
Officer Report
An Officer Report to assist the Committee in determining the application accompanies all the applications that are considered by the Planning Committee.
The Report identifies:
- the relevant development plan policies
- supplementary planning documents
- other planning policy guidance issued by the Government
The Report also:
- describes the proposal and planning history of the site
- summarises consultations, objections and representations
- makes a recommendation based on planning policy and other material planning conditions
If you would like to view electronic versions of Committee Reports including officer's reports, see Planning Committee Schedule Reports and Minutes.
Committee actions
The Planning Committee may approve, refuse or defer consideration of the application for further information or a site visit.
Registering your interest to speak
Providing you have made written representations on the application, you will be invited to register your interest in speaking at Planning Committee.
You will need to contact Planning Services after the Committee schedule is published (8 days before Committee) but no later than midday on the Monday prior to Committee.
For applications in the former areas, use the following contacts:
Former Allerdale area email planning1@cumberland.gov.uk
Former Carlisle area email DCRTS@cumberland.gov.uk or phone (01228) 817 482 or 817 112
Former Copeland area email development.control3@cumberland.gov.uk
You cannot register an interest ahead of the Committee schedule being published.
What you will need
When you contact us you will need to provide your:
- name, postal and/or e-mail address and daytime telephone number
- the application number and proposed development to which it refers
- whether you are a supporter or an objector
- whether you represent anyone else
- details of any special access arrangements you may require
Speaking about multiple items
You may speak about more than one item on the agenda, providing you have made written representations before the report is published and register to do so in respect of each item.
If an application is deferred, you will be given the opportunity to either speak then, or defer your right to speak until the next meeting when the application will be heard.
Speaking at Planning Committee
The Committee cannot consider:
- boundary disputes, covenants or other property rights
- reduction in property values
- matters dealt with by other law (e.g. licensing)
- personal remarks about anyone (e.g. their conduct, private affairs or how a business is run).
Try not to repeat issues covered by previous speakers.
Public speaking
People can ask to speak at the Planning Committee.
The right to speak procedure allows up to 5 people in support and 5 people in objection, to address the Committee on a planning application. Each speaker will be given three minutes.
If there are spaces available, a place will be reserved for you. If not, you may wish to speak to your local Ward Councillor who may be able to represent your views on your behalf.
You can speak to the Committee on any planning application that is being determined by them. There is also opportunity for the following people to address the Committee:
- agent
- applicant
- Ward Councillor
- Parish Councillor
- Town Councillor
Issues you can cover when speaking
Speaking at Committee gives you the opportunity to present directly to the Committee the points you have made in your written representations on a planning application.
For the Committee to give proper consideration to your views you must still ensure your written representation covers all your points. You are not expected to make new points when addressing the Committee.
Decisions on planning applications are limited by law to specific issues known as ‘material considerations’. It is best that you keep to these issues since anything else must be ignored.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that your comments must relate to the use of land and should be directed to policies contained within national or local planning documents.
Some of the most common issues include:
- location and setting
- traffic and impact on road networks
- design and appearance
- landscaping
- possible effects of pollution on land
- noise and disturbance
- effect on listed buildings and conservation areas
- hours of working.
Visual presentations
You can choose to present information on screen if you consider that graphs/tables/images or photographs will assist.
You will need to send the presentation to the Council’s planning technician's to ensure they are incorporated within the presentations to Committee and are checked. We will also ensure any material requiring redaction is dealt with prior to the meeting. For example, we redact vehicle registration numbers, or we may obscure faces of people who have not consented to images being used.
Presentations must be sent by 5pm on the Monday prior to the meeting. Late presentations will not be accepted. We cannot currently include videos within presentations.
If you wish to make late changes to your presentations, you will need to do so by midday on the day before the meeting (Tuesday) and confirm with the planning technician that the correct presentation has been uploaded. Presentations will not be uploaded on the morning of the meeting.
Other materials
Nothing will be allowed to be handed out to the Councillors on the day of the committee. Do not expect to hand out notes or photographs to the committee.
Special provisions relating to tree preservation orders
Proposals for the making of tree preservation orders (TPOs) often attract local interest in the particular area where the order is being considered.
The Council’s Constitution delegates the making of TPOs to the Assistant Director Inclusive Growth and Placemaking and the Chief Legal Officer. Only in exceptional circumstances will it be referred to the Planning Committee for confirmation.
Where this arises, the council allows members of the public, who wish to speak in opposition to a TPO being made and also anyone in favour of the order, to be given the opportunity to speak at the Committee.
You will need to register your interest if you wish to speak on a proposed TPO.
Information about dates of and papers for the meetings of the Planning Committee are available.