Letter: The Right To Be Consulted Is Not Significant

Published on: 19 Dec, 2025
Updated on: 17 Dec, 2025

From David Roberts

In response to: A Town Council with Only One Significant Power is No Substitute

I don’t think the right of parish or town councils to be consulted on planning applications is a “significant” power at all.

In the case of existing parish councils there seems to be an ambiguity about whether they constitute statutory consultees, whose views hold as much weight as those of, say, the county council or the Environment Agency.

We in West Horsley have an exemplary parish council, but its views on planning applications are routinely treated with contempt and ignored by planning officers.

I cannot think of a single large planning application in the last ten years where the views of the parish council were decisive to the final outcome.

Responses to Letter: The Right To Be Consulted Is Not Significant

Bernard Quoroll Reply

December 19, 2025 at 3:10 pm

It is significant, in that no other body will have an automatic right to be consulted. Someone locally would have to track planning applications within their area and look for like-minded people to join them in making representations to the local planning authority. That would leave local people even further on the back foot.

Planning applications have to be determined on specific planning merits grounds, so it should be the quality of an argument on merit which convinces, rather than who makes it. But a large number of people objecting can sometimes concentrate the attention of local politicians!

Planning authorities these days have limited autonomy in determining planning applications. If they do not follow detailed government prescription and refuse, they may have to pay substantial costs, so the ultimate test tends to be “is this refusable?” rather than “is this good planning?”

If you think it is bad now, just wait until applications are determined by a distant West Surrey unitary council, most of whose councillors (and officers) will not live in Guildford.