Speaking at Planning Committee

If you have commented in objection to a planning application, you have the opportunity to speak at the Planning Committee. This does not apply to second or duplicate applications.

Comment on a planning application

When we are certain that an application is to go to a Planning Committee meeting, we will contact everyone who has objected (including the parish or town council). Objectors will receive a letter or email about a week before the meeting inviting them to register their wish to speak. We will also let the applicant or their agent know that public speaking may take place.

Only those who have sent individual written objections (before the time the agenda is prepared) will be invited to speak at Planning Committee. Organisers of petitions or an elected spokesperson can represent the objections of all those who have signed a petition against a planning application.

Registering your intention to speak

If you would like to speak at a Planning Committee meeting, you must register your wish to do so at least 48 hours before the meeting starts (usually by 6pm on the Monday before the Wednesday meeting). You can phone or email us using the details on the right.

Time restrictions

A total of three minutes is allowed for objections to be made to the Planning Committee. If an application is identified as "exceptional" by the Planning Committee chairman the overall time limit for objectors would be extended to six minutes.

Objectors will be encouraged and helped to contact each other and it may be appropriate to appoint a spokesperson to represent a group of objectors. If objectors cannot agree on a spokesperson, speakers will be heard in the order that they registered their intention to speak.

When an objector has addressed the Planning Committee, the applicant or their agent will have three minutes to respond to the objections. Applicants will not be allowed to make full presentations of their proposals to the Planning Committee and will only be able to speak when there are objectors.

Planning Committee meeting papers

The agenda for the meeting and the report on the application will be available for five working days before the meeting from our Planning Committee meetings web page and at planning reception in our High Wycombe offices.

Further guidance and the order of speaking for each application can be downloaded below.