Comment on a planning application
The best way to submit your comments is online via the below link:
Comment on a planning application online
Please note from the 1 April 2022 public comments submitted via email are no longer accepted.
Anyone can comment on a planning application even if you do not live near to the application site.
Comments can be submitted up until the date of decision. Any comment received before the decision date will be reviewed by the case officer.
We recommend that you submit your comments as soon as possible. This is so that the case officer can take your opinions into consideration. We want to make sure that the case officer has seen your comments before providing a decision.
To comment online you will need an account. If you do not already have an account, you will need to register. By setting up an account you will be able to:
- comment on applications
- track applications
- set up to be notified of applications in your area
If you are unable to register an account, you can email webmanager@cornwall.gov.uk for help.
All comments made towards an application will be published on our website.
We will not respond to individual comments, but the progress of a planning application is available to view via our planning register.
Views expressed by third parties on our website are not the views of Cornwall Council
Hard copy or postal comments
Our correspondence address for hard copy comments is:
Cornwall Council Planning,
PO Box 676,
Threemilestone,
Truro,
Cornwall, TR1 9EQ.
If hard copy comments are submitted there will be a delay of up to 7 working days. This is because comments have to be:
- processed
- received by the case officer
and - added to the online register
Therefore submitting comments via the online planning register is the quickest option to ensure your comments are received immediately.
What to include
- Please include your name and address with any comments (we will accept e-mail addresses), so we can contact you about your comments if required. We can't accept confidential or anonymous comments
- Please read the Council's Under 18 Policy for information in respect of submissions by children
- You must ensure your comments refer to relevant material considerations only and not of a personal nature. Examples of relevant planning comments can be seen in the table below.
- Please don’t include any other personal information in your comments.
- You are responsible for your comments and any statements you make. By submitting comments you are agreeing that you will adhere to our website terms of use. You must ensure that your comments are not offensive, harmful or of a personal nature.
If we receive a complaint about a comment on our website, we have a duty of care to review this. If the comment does not adhere to our website terms of use we will consider removing it from our website. We will contact you if we receive a complaint about your comment. We will help you understand why your comment has been removed and how to resubmit your comments.
Any account or comments found to be fraudulent will be removed.
Relevant planning comments
Your comments should include relevant material planning considerations only. You should try not to include your personal opinion or any neighbour disputes. These are not considered relevant considerations.
Some examples of what is a relevant planning comment are outlined in the table below. It is important that your comments stick to the points shown on the left hand side of the table.
Issues that are relevant in planning decisions
|
Relevant considerations |
Planning considerations which are not relevant |
|---|---|
|
|
Petitions
If you think a lot of people agree with you about a planning application you can organise a petition.
If you decide to organise a petition, please make sure that:
- it clearly says the purpose of the petition
- it gives the reasons why people are supporting or objecting to the application
- the names and addresses of the people signing the petition can be easily read
- there is a contact name and address for the person organising the petition
Petitions can support as well as oppose planning proposals and will be published on the Council’s website.
If you are organising the petition you will need to gain signatures from members of the public. All signatures are redacted but names are visible. If you do this, you will need to gain consent from them to be able to submit this as a comment. This is so that we can share their data on our website.
It is also so that adhere to the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). By submitting a petition you are agreeing to adhere to our website terms of use.
You can find further information on the Information Commissioner's website.
If it is unclear that you have obtained consent, we will not publish the petition on our website.
Commenting on a pre-application
We do not need comments for Pre-Applications. At this stage the applicant is only seeking advice and not formal consent. If you do send a comment towards a Pre-Application it will not be visible on our website.
When a formal planning application is submitted, our usual consultation process will occur.
What happens after I submit my comments?
The case officer will review all comments towards a planning application. These will be reviewed against the relevant policies and guidelines.
Most applications are decided by a case officer. On occasion a decision will be made by planning committee. This is only under certain circumstances.
Further information can be found via the links below.
We are not able to let you know if a planning application is being reviewed by planning committee. You will need to track the progress of the application by using the online planning register.
You can track the application online for updates. This includes being told when a decision has been made. To do this you need to log into your account, go to the application and then select “track”.
Right to appeal
Third parties do not have the right to appeal a planning decision. The only person with a right to appeal is the applicant.
Privacy Notices
Please see our Privacy Notices page for details of data protection