Whenever we receive a planning application, a letter is sent to neighbours and other people likely to be affected, giving 21 days to send in comments.
If your petition meets certain conditions you can ask to present it to a development control forum.
Development control forum
A development control forum is a meeting where petitioners can present their views to councillors, planning officers and the applicant some weeks before a planning application is finally determined.
The aim of the forum is to allow early discussion of the planning issues raised by petitioners and to explore the scope for building consensus and resolving concerns.
It is an informal meeting and the forum does not determine the application. A formal committee ultimately determines the application.
Your petition
When we receive a planning application we send a letter to neighbours and other people likely to be affected by the development, allowing 21 days for comments.
The letter states that a development control forum might be held on the planning application for petitions that meet certain requirements.
The petition must state that a development control forum is being requested. You can download a sample petition.
If you have a petition that meets all of the above requirements and you wish to present it, please contact the committee manager at democratic.services@cambridge.gov.uk so that a meeting of the forum can be arranged. We will give you at least seven days notice about the meeting date and time.
Applicants and petitioners will be expected to meet the next available date because of the tight deadlines we have in determining planning applications.
You can also set up a petition using our online petition system. Your request should include all information included on the sample. Contact democratic.services@cambridge.gov.uk or 01223 457013 if you have any questions.
Petitions the forum will consider
The development control forum will consider a petition:
- containing at least 25 signatures and addresses of Cambridge city residents
- of objection that is received within the initial 21-day consultation period
- of support, but only if there is also a qualifying petition of objection to be considered - a petition of support must be received within seven days of the close of the initial 21-day consultation period
- that solely relates to comments on an eligible planning application that is under consideration.
Petitions must clearly state what the planning concerns are about the application, and whether it is an outright in-principle objection to the development. If it is not, we encourage you to say in the petition what changes might be made to the development to overcome your concerns.
You will be expected to explain what changes you are seeking at the development control forum itself.
Timescales have to be set for the receipt of petitions because we have to deal with applications within government set deadlines.
Petitions the forum will consider
The development control forum will consider a petition:
- containing at least 25 signatures and addresses of Cambridge city residents
- of objection that is received within the initial 21-day consultation period
- of support, but only if there is also a qualifying petition of objection to be considered - a petition of support must be received within seven days of the close of the initial 21-day consultation period
- that solely relates to comments on an eligible planning application that is under consideration.
Petitions must clearly state what the planning concerns are about the application, and whether or not it is an outright in-principle objection to the development. If it is not, we encourage you to say in the petition what changes might be made to the development to overcome your concerns.
You will be expected to explain what changes you are seeking at the development control forum itself.
Timescales have to be set for the receipt of petitions because we have to deal with applications within government set deadlines.