For information about Wisbech Town Council Planning & Community Infrastructure Committee click HERE

Planning guidance

• As a Parish Council, Wisbech Town Council is a statutory consultee in the planning process.
• A parish council may make observations on and objections to a planning application but it has no power to approve or reject an application.
• Views of local residents or pressure groups will be addressed by the local Planning Authority (Fenland District Council) within the formal planning process.
• Interested parties are able to put forward personal views regarding applications within the public participation session at the beginning of meetings of Wisbech Town Council or its committees. However, the observations made by the Council are the views of the Council and may not necessarily reflect the views of interested parties.
• In order to be properly considered, observations made by Wisbech Town Council must be based on planning grounds and represent material considerations to the application under discussion.
• Below is a list of criteria to be examined when considering planning applications. This list may not be definitive but has been agreed with the Principal Planning Officer at Fenland District Council.
• Reference may also be made to National, Regional or Local Planning Policies.

Material/relevant considerations
• Visual Impact (on public amenity, not individual)
• Privacy / overlooking
• Daylight / sunlight
• Noise / smell / pollution
• Access / traffic – road safety
• Health & safety
• Ecology / loss of habitat / landscape
• Crime (and fear of crime)
• Economic impact
• Planning history
• Related decisions
• Cumulative impactNon material/irrelevant/unimportant
• Who the applicant is (personal conduct/history/motives)
• Ownership of land / property
• Private rights (e.g. right of access)
• Restrictive covenants
• Effect on property values
• Commercial competition
• Loss of view
• 'Better' site or 'better' use for site
• Change from previous scheme

Further factors which may be considered in particular cases:

• Effect on Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• Flood Risk
• Personal factors (rarely!)

At the beginning of meetings members of the public have up to 15 minutes to put comments and/or questions. In the event of several issues being raised the 15 minutes will be divided equally amongst attendees wishing to speak.

Comments/questions will usually be dealt with in the order in which they are received. However, priority will be given to issues related to items on the agenda.

It would be appreciated if an advance notice of a wish to speak could be given to the Clerk. To allow the meeting to be properly organised it is asked that, if possible, the Clerk has at least 48 hours notice of a question, preferably in writing, to allow the Council to properly prepare as full an answer as possible.

The Council will not accept any comments or questions that are, or appear to be, defamatory, racist or contain offensive language, or otherwise not appropriate for consideration at a Council meeting. The Chairman will ask you to put your questions and will decide who answers it. The answer may be given orally, may refer to information contained in a publication or may be written. You will be offered the chance to seek clarification of the answer given.

Any members of the press and public are invited to attend all meetings of the Town Council, but are asked to observe the protocol and respect the wishes of the person chairing the meeting.
It is requested that all mobile phones be switched onto silent or preferably turned off altogether.
It is requested that visitors are smartly dressed.
All questions or statements must be made through the Chairman.
If you wish to speak raise your hand and when the Chairman indicates it is your turn to speak you must stand.
At full Council meetings if the Mayor stands you must immediately stop speaking and sit down.
After the public consultation period, members of the public and press are welcome to remain at the meeting to observe proceedings but may not speak.

At Town Council Meetings the Mayor chairs the meeting, and his/her decision on the conduct of the meeting is final. You must abide by his/her decisions. At other meetings of the Council there may be others who have been elected to chair them and they are in control.