Dealing with Planning Applications

This page gives a brief guide to how planning applications are dealt with and Yatton Parish Council's role in the process. 

 

North Somerset Council is the planning authority for North Somerset and is the only body that can make decisions on planning applications. Yatton Parish Council is entitled to comment on planning applications but cannot make a decision on them.

A page is created on North Somerset Council's website for each planning application when it is accepted as a valid application. All the application documents, and all comments on the application, can be viewed from that page and there is a link to an online comment form. North Somerset Council's Planning home page is here.

Every planning application that relates to land and buildings in the parish of Yatton is considered at a meeting of Yatton Parish Council's Planning Committee. Meetings of the Planning Committee are advertised and members of the public are welcome to attend. There is a period near the start of the meeting where members of the public, including those supporting or opposing a planning application, can make statements. Councillors will then discuss and vote on the comments to be made by the Parish Council on each application.

The Parish Council sends its comments to North Somerset Council. Members of the public can also submit comments to North Somerset Council. Anonymous comments will not be taken into account.

A decision will then be made on the application. 90% of decisions are made by an officer (employee) of North Somerset Council. 10% are decided by a committee of North Somerset councillors, usually because a North Somerset councillor has asked for the application to be referred to a committee If the decision is to be made by a committee the meeting will be advertised and members of the public can attend and make comments (but generally only one speaker in favour and one against). However if the decision is made by an officer it will be made in private and only written comments will be considered.

If permission is refused, or is granted subject to conditions, the applicant may appeal to the Planning Inspectorate (an independent body). However neither Yatton Parish Council nor anyone else opposed to a planning application can appeal if planning permission is granted.

North Somerset Council is also responsible for 'enforcement' action, for example where development has taken place without planning permission. The Parish Council is not invited to comment on such action. Complaints about unauthorised development should be made direct to North Somerset Council.

 Parish Neighbourhood Plans

Yatton Parish Council at the requests of residents decided to produce two neighbourhood plans because of the very significant differences in the needs of the two villages of Yatton and Claverham within the parish. Both plans were approved at referendum and are adopted within North Somerset Council Planning Policy and therefore do carry weight when deliberations and decisions are made about applications within the each village. Each plan has its own website so for full details please use the following links.

Click here to see both Neighbourhood Plans