Polperro Community Council (PCC) is not a Planning Authority, but under the Local Government Act 1972, the Planning Authority (Cornwall Council) must inform the Community Council of any planning applications in Lansallos Parish. PCC can then make observations, recommendations and comments to the Planning Authority where appropriate.
Polperro Community Council normally formulates its responses to Planning Applications during its monthly meeting. It will occasionally be necessary to convene an extraordinary meeting if the timeline for any application cannot be contained within the meeting calendar. The Community Council does not have executive powers to accept or reject applications, but its views are considered when the application is determined by Cornwall Council. PCC may also contribute views on Local Area and Regional Strategies on subjects such as housing, transport, environment and employment.
Did you know? Development and alterations of buildings within the Conservation Area of Polperro are subject to special rules under an Article 4 Direction. Further restrictions apply if the building is listed. For more details click here.
How does it work?
Notification of applications is received by the clerk from Cornwall Council Planning Office. In order for the Parish Council to make an informed decision, the clerk notifies all councillors, allowing them to look at the application in detail together with all the site plans, elevations, block plans, design statement etc. At the next PCC meeting (which is a public meeting),councillors will consider all aspects of the application including its position in relation to the existing and neighbouring buildings, its design, whether it creates a loss of privacy or light to nearby properties, its appearance in the street scene, whether it affects local drainage or parking and the overall needs and requirements of the village. Interested parties will be given limited time to address the members in relation to their support or objection to a planning application. You can find out which applications are to be discussed by consulting the Agenda for the next meeting. Sometimes Applications are received by the PCC after the publication of the Agenda, and such applications will be posted on the PCC website. This will always be the most up to date list.
PCC must be completely objective and impartial in every individual case. Any councillor who may have either a personal or prejudicial interest in the outcome of any application will declare this at the beginning of the meeting and will be excluded from participating in discussion and vote. Councillors take objections to planning applications very seriously and they are not made without good cause. Any objections must be grounded in planning law. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has at its heart a presumption in favour of sustainable development. Applicants have a basic right to expect that when they submit a planning application that it will be approved unless there are justifiable grounds to refuse it (not the other way round). Whether councillors like an application or not is irrelevant.
What PCC can bring to the planning department at Cornwall Council is local knowledge which can help the planning officer when determining the application. Once the PCC has decided its response, the clerk sends the Community Council’s submission to the case officer at Cornwall Council.
What happens next?
90% of planning applications are determined by the Cornwall Council case officer. In the case of contentious or controversial applications, the case officer might refer the application to committee. This means that the case officer will recommend a decision but the application will be determined by the Strategic Planning Committee, a committee made up of Cornwall Councillors who meet once a month. They will consider all the representations made by both statutory consultees and local residents and will then vote on whether to grant or refuse permission.
Further information
The Chairman and Members of PCC are happy to discuss any matters in relation to a proposed plan and may be contacted via the Members page. You may also contact Planning Officers at Cornwall Council Planning Department or make comment using the online form at the Cornwall Council Online Planning Register page.
Want to know more about how Cornwall Council deals with planning applications? View this interactive document – A Day in the life of a Planning Application