Comment on a planning application

Anyone can make comments for or against a planning application during the statutory 21-day consultation period.  

All valid comments will be taken into consideration when officers or planning committee members make a decision on any application. 

It is possible to submit comments in a number of ways:  

• online through our Public Access System. You will need to search for the application (using the reference number) and click the 'comment' tab to submit a comment
• email plservices@eastcambs.gov.uk 
• writing, you can send comments by post to: Planning, East Cambridgeshire District Council, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, Cambs, CB7 4EE  

You will need to include the planning reference number, your name and full address with any comments or they cannot be accepted.  

You should also be prepared for your comments to be available to the applicant and to the general public, although any sensitive information such as signatures and email addresses will be redacted. Slanderous, racist or malicious comments will not be published. 

You will receive acknowledgement we have received your comments by the same method you used to contact us. 

What you can comment on

Officers can only consider comments relating to what are known as material planning considerations. These are generally issues such as:

• does the proposal conform to the policies in the Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework 
• comments about the design 
• impact on neighbouring properties in regards to severe loss of light or privacy
• impact on highway safety

More information on what can and cannot be considered is available on the material planning considerations page of this website.

Submitting photographs

Photographs can be very useful in illustrating a point to a planning officer, but there is a need to protect the privacy of an applicant or any other individuals that may be in the photographs.  

We will display them as long as they are relevant to the point being made, but we may decide to hide them from public view if we feel there are potential privacy concerns.  

Some elements of a photograph submitted and published online as part of a planning application or comment may be redacted to comply with the General Date Protection Regulation (GDPR), for example vehicle registration numbers.  Even if photographs are hidden by us online, they will still be available to the planning officer.

If you intend to take photographs to use in your planning comment, you should consider people's privacy and be respectful of their property. 

Process for considering objections

If objections are made to a development proposal, it does not mean the application will be refused.  

Officers will consider the objections, decide whether they are material planning considerations and make a balanced assessment as to whether the proposal is acceptable or not.  

It may be that if a high number of objections are received that the application is referred to planning committee.

Data protection and privacy

Privacy notice