All planning applications - and any plans or supporting documents that accompany them - are available for inspection online and in the planning information office.
Our officers are frequently out on site so if you wish to discuss a particular application, please contact us to make an appointment.
Commenting on planning applications
Anybody may comment on an application but the comment can only be considered if it refers to a planning related issue.
We will be acknowledge all comments and the planning officer will consider the observations. If an application is revised, we will send notification of the alterations to interested parties. Any comments will be summarised in the officer's report, which will be available for public inspection.
Please note
Any comments will be summarised in the officer's report, which will be available for public inspection. Comments cannot be treated as confidential and are available for inspection by the public and the applicant or their agent.
Objecting to a planning application
Send your written objections to us as soon as possible, quoting the address of the property and the application number. Late arriving objections will still be taken into account, providing the application has not been determined.
You may also send a copy of your objection letter to your ward councillor or local residents group. Objections need to be planning considerations such as:
substantial damage to the amenities of residents caused by noise, disturbance, smell or loss of light
the visual impact of a development - what it will be like to look at, but not the loss of a view
highway safety including the need for parking
the existing use of the site or any previous planning permission already granted
the design, materials and amenity space in the scheme
the policies of the Council as contained in the Unitary Development Plan
Government advice as set out by the Department of the Environment in planning policy guidance notes
Senior planning officers decide the majority of applications, but if a proposal is to be reported to one of the three planning and highways committees for a decision, then those who have made comments will be invited to attend.
At a committee meeting, a single representative of the objectors will be able to speak to the committee for five minutes. You can meet with other objectors in another room or the civic suite foyer from 6.30pm, so please contact us to find out the names of other objectors before the meeting.
If you have made a written comment on an application then you will be advised of the decision shortly after it is made.
What if you do not oppose the development in principle?
If you do not oppose the proposed development then you do not need to write to the Council, unless you wish to add your support.
On the other hand you may not object to the proposed development in principle, but disagree with some of the details. In this case you can write to ask for that part of the application to be changed, or conditions added to the planning permission. For example, you might ask us to:
control the hours of operation
provide obscure glazed windows to overcome privacy problems
specify the precise use of a building
provide details of boundary fences or walls
grant temporary permission to assess the impact and operation of the development
grant personal permission to restrict development to named individual.
Invalid objections
These are objections to an application made on non-planning grounds. These cannot legally be taken into account in reaching a planning decision. The following examples are not planning considerations:
loss in the value of your home or property as a result of the development
unfair competition (for example, there are already enough similar businesses in the area)
construction work that may cause disturbance
any restrictive covenants (this is a private matter for the landowner)
a boundary dispute
a developer needs other consents (which are dealt with by other services).
What happens next
Lewisham's Planning team will consider the merits of the application and weigh these against any objections received.
Small-scale developments that comply with Council policy where up to two or no letters of objection have been received, are decided by senior planning officers under delegated powers.
An application that has three or more written objections made will be reported to Committee. In practice the great majority of applications are dealt with under delegated powers.
Planning permission will not be refused simply because objections have been made. The planning officer may ask the applicant to revise the plans to overcome unsatisfactory details. In the event of revisions or amendments being submitted, you may be notified again if the changes are significant.