Commenting on an application

Before planning applications are considered by the Council, members of the public and other interested parties are invited to send us their comments regarding the application. This may be done online, using the Planning & Building Control Public Register (opens new window), by email, or by post. The deadline for the receipt of comments will be shown on the "application details" page of the website, as the Consultation Expiry date.

To submit comments online, search for the planning application using the Search for an application: Planning & Building Control Public Register (opens new window) page. Comments can be submitted up until the Consultation Expiry date (which is a minimum of three weeks), using the 'comment on this application link' of the "application details" page.

If the consultation date has passed, it will not be possible to comment using this link. However, you can still submit your comments via email to developmentmanagement@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

All comments will be published on our website under the terms of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985. Representations and comments that we publish are the views of the consultees and members of the public who make them and not the views of the Council. We make all decisions on the application in line with established procedures and after careful scrutiny.

Please make sure that you only provide information, including your personal information, that you are happy for other people to see. If you supply other people's personal information, please make sure that you have their permission. We do not edit consultation responses unless there is a specific reason to do so that is considered to be in the public interest. See our Privacy Notice for further information.

Comments should not be of a discriminatory, defamatory or libelous nature. Any comments received like this will not be published or considered.

If you have a question or you require further advice regarding this subject please contact the planning team on 0300 456 0114.

The key point to remember is that you can only comment on 'material considerations' that affect the application. These include things such as, but not exclusively:

Planning Policies - are there any policies in the Development Plan, including any relevant Neighbourhood Plan that relate to the proposal? The Development Plan includes the Wiltshire Core Strategy; Neighbourhood Plans; Wiltshire Housing Sites Allocation Plan; Chippenham Sites Allocation Plan; and Minerals and Waste Plans. These documents can all be found on our Planning policy (Local Plan) page.
Government Guidance, Planning Policy Guidance and Statements
History - previous decisions, particularly appeals
Comments from consultees
Amenity e.g. privacy, sunlight, daylight, noise and smell
Highway safety
Nature, archaeology conservation and landscape
Impact upon adjacent land use
Design
Human Rights Act

We will not consider matters that are not material or relevant to the application as these are outside the boundaries of the planning process and are regarded more as civil matters between parties. These include things like:

loss of value
loss of view
viability, including matters such as party walls and structures
private rights (access)
a change from a previous scheme
moral issues
restrictive covenants
land ownership
competition
the development has already taken place prior to an application being submitted

Comment online

To submit comments on an application, please search for the planning application using the Search for an application: Planning & Building Control Public Register (opens new window) page.

Comments can be submitted up until the Consultation Expiry date (which is a minimum of three weeks), using the 'comment on this application link' on the application details page. If the application is not open to comment on using this link, you can still submit your comments via email to developmentmanagement@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) up until the target date for decision, however we cannot guarantee that any late comments will be accepted. Please include the planning application reference number and your postal address as we cannot consider comments that are anonymous or that do not include your address.