East Hampshire District Council have in recent days clarified their position relating to letters of objection for planning applications in light of the "one response per household" debate that has been well publicised locally and in the press over recent weeks.
If you are planning to respond to a planning application, reading this article first is highly recommended.
The EHDC web site has now been updated to show the clarified text - shown below.
Any comments you make within the set time limits will be taken into account and referred to in the planning officer's report but planning staff and councillors have to consider every aspect of the application and all relevant issues before a decision is reached and your views may not prevent its being successful.
Letters which state that the author objects but do not give reasons will not be counted. Signatures on petitions will not be counted as individual objections.To be material the objection must be related to the development and use of land in the public interest and must fairly and reasonably relate to the application concerned.
The approach is also referenced in the committee sub-area, which states the rules for "Section 1 items" more clearly
These are more major or controversial planning applications or where the planning application has attracted at least twenty letters of objection within 28 calendar days of the date of the notification letter or statutory public notice.
All letters of representation are taken into consideration and referred to in the officer’s report. However, to count as a letter of objection for the purposes of determining items where public speaking will apply, each letter must be written so that it is unique to the objector. Letters based upon a common template or proforma shall not be treated as individual letters. Letters which state that the author objects but do not give reasons will not be counted. Signatures on petitions will not be counted as individual objections.
To be material the objection must be related to the development and use of land in the public interest and must fairly and reasonably relate to the application concerned.
Members of the public may participate, in that one objector may address the committee, for a maximum of three minutes, by prior invitation. This also applies to the applicant and a representative of the parish council."
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