The Planning Applications Process

Planning applications concerning Guilsborough are made to Daventry District Council (DDC), and it is their responsibility to notify neighbouring properties and the Parish Clerk.

The Parish Clerk has 21 days from the date of the letter (note: neither the date it was posted nor the date it was received) for any observations from the Parish Council to be received by DDC.  If the time frame allows, the planning application will be an agenda item at the next meeting otherwise the clerk has to confer with the Chairman of the Parish Council with some suggested dates for a planning meeting and finally checks on the availability of the village hall.  The Clerk then displays a notice advertising the meeting in the lantern notice board by the Green, he has to give 3 days notice of the meeting and these 3 days must not include the day he puts the notice up, the day of the meeting, or any Saturday or Sunday.

Parishioners are welcome at all Parish Council meetings including planning meetings, if you receive a notice of a planning application from DDC and want to check when the local planning meeting is to be held please either look at the lantern board or email the Parish Clerk, Carol Holifield, at guilsborough.pc@gmail.com.

On some occasions site meetings are arranged, DDC may decide this is necessary and sometimes the Parish Council request one, but their request is not always granted by DDC.

If the application comes before a Planning Committee meeting at Daventry members of the public may also attend, Any person who wishes to object or support an application may speak, but this is limited to one person for and one person against in the event of several persons wishing to speak. The applicant or agent may speak, and also one member of the Parish Council. Anybody who has written to Planning Control objecting to or commenting on an application will be notified by letter of the date and time of the Planning Committee considering the proposal.  A request to speak must be made at the latest by 12 noon on the day of the Committee, all persons are given a maximum of three minutes each to speak.

Material planning consideration

• Residential amenity  ~  design,appearance & layout ~ trees & open spaces
• Government guidance ~ highway safety & traffic ~ the character of the area
• Noise,disturbance & smell ~ historic buildings & areas ~ the Structure Plan
• The adopted planning policies of the Council ~ the Local Plan

Non-planning issues include

• Private property rights ~ loss of view over other people’s land
• The developers’ morals or motives ~ effects on property value.

West Northants Council now has a single planning enforcement policy and team operating across West Northamptonshire, with a single online access point.

This has streamlined processes and responses and includes a useful Q&A page to inform the public and can be found at:

 https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/planning-applications-and-enforcement/planning-enforcement