• Neighbours immediately adjacent to a location for which a planning application has been submitted should automatically be notified by the Planning Division of Southend Council's Technical & Environmental Services Department.
• The Planning Division also puts up a notice in the street outside the site (typically attached to a lamp post) to inform passers-by of a planning application.
• All recent planning applications are publicised on the Council's website: www.southend.gov.uk in both the Weekly List and in the Planning Applications Database
• The Plans section of this website shows the recent applications for the Leigh area.                 Plans >>

• Plans supporting a planning application are available for public viewing at:
• Southend Borough Council's Technical & Environmental Services Department, 10th Floor, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend during the following times: Monday to Friday 8:30 to 16:45.
• For planning applications within the Leigh Town Council area, plans may be viewed at the LTC office 76 Elm Road, Leigh-on-Sea during the following times: Mon to Thurs 10:00 to 15:00, Friday 10:00 to 13:00
• Copies of plans can be requested but there is a charge for this.

Advice on planning matters can readily be obtained from Southend Borough Council's Technical & Environmental Services Department

10th Floor, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend during the following times: Monday to Friday 8:30 to 16:45
Ask to see a Duty Officer. Applications for Leigh fall within the Council's West Area which has its own team of planning officers.
Love Leigh can provide some advice and guidance

• www.southend.gov.uk
• The planning application reference number
• The address to which the application applies
• A description of the proposal
• The applicant's name and address
• The agent's (architect's) name and address
• The neighbourhood consultation period - start and end dates
• The name of the planning officer dealing with the application (only on the "Weekly List")

• Encourage neighbours to write in individually; the more local opposition the better.Petitions may be considered as one letter of objection; several individual letters make a bigger impact. The more letters of objection received, the more the Council is likely to consider the application contentious and which should therefore be decided by the Committee and not delegated to officers.
• Letters objecting to a planning application may be sent by anyone although letters from immediate neighbours may have more weight in some respects - e.g. loss of light, noise, loss of privacy.
• Contact Love Leigh. We will provide support to those seeking to retain Leigh's character.
• Enlist the support of local councillors. Although not necessarily on the committee, councillors can influence their colleagues, can speak at Committee, can "call in" an application to be considered by the Committee and have access to the officers themselves.
• Enlist the support of local groups - e.g. West Leigh Residents Association, The Leigh Society, Leigh Cliff Association. Where buildings of historical or architectural merit are threatened, contact e.g. English Heritage

• Letters should be sent to the Director of Technical & Environmental Services for consideration by his Planning Division.
• If the application is considered by the Committee, the total number of letters received and a digest of their contents is included in the planning officers' report to the Committee.
• To ensure that members of the Committee are fully aware of the issues, copies of letters or additional letters should also be sent directly to them.
• As plans in the Leigh area are considered by Leigh Town Council, objection letters should also be sent to them to seek their endorsement. Leigh Town Council submits its views on all Leigh applications to Southend. Letters sent to Leigh Council are also sent on to Southend Council

The Council's "Informal Local Code of Conduct for Councillors and Officers Dealing with Planning Matters" recognises that raising concerns directly with councillors is altogether legitimate. The code states: "It is important to recognise that lobbying is a normal and perfectly proper part of the political process. Those who may be affected by a planning decision will often seek to influence it through an approach to their elected Ward Councillor or to a member of the Development Control Committee."

• by letter to the Director of Technical & Environmental Services, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, PO Box 5557, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6ZF
• by email to technicalservices@southend.gov.uk
• via the Council's website www.southend.gov.uk
  
• Objections should be received within 3 weeks of the application being registered.
• NB All letters and emails become public documents and copies will be available to the applicant.
  

• A plan conflicts with planning policy
• Design, appearance, layout and effect on nearby property
• Impact on visual or residential "amenity" (including loss of light, noise, odour and other environmental impacts)
• Impact on trees, conservation areas or nature conservation
• Highway safety and traffic issues
• Areas not relevant for planning are private property rights (boundary or access disputes, restrictive covenants), effect on property values, personality or a developer’s motives and loss of view over private land.                    

• It helps to quote the application reference number.
• Letters in opposition to a planning application should clearly state the reasons for objection.
• They do not have to be long; the number of letters can be as important as the content.
• Click here for an example of an objection letter.

• Only 10%of applications are considered by the Development Control Committee.The rest are decided by the planning officers under their delegated powers.
• The Committee normally meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 2.00pm in Committee Room 1, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue.                                               Diary  >>
• The public and press can attend the meetings but only one registered objector is allowed to speak.
• The applications which are to be considered can be found on the Council's website www.southend.gov.uk (scroll down to "Development Control Committee") or by phoning Development Control on 01702-215331

• Site visits are held for those applications of particular interest to the Committee, e.g. when the proposed development would have a serious impact on the immediate area. These visits take place on the morning of the Committee meeting and most of the Committee attend.
• Councillors should be contacted directly to press for a site visit.

In addition to written comments on a planning application, an objector may address the Committee directly (if it deals with the application). Only one objector may speak for 3 minutes maximum; the developer has the right to reply.

NB Local Groups or Organisations (or their representatives) are not allowed to address the Committee.

• or email: technicalservices@southend.gov.uk
  or fax to: (01702) 215386
  
• Requests should be received in writing by 12 noon on the day before the meeting at the very latest.Your letter should make it clear why you object to the application and should quote the application reference number if you have it.
• Only one objector may speak and for a maximum of 3 minutes. The applicant has a right of reply.
• Focus on clear, straightforward issues - avoid detail.
• Full details on public participation are available on the Council's website www.southend.gov.uk

• When planning consent is granted, planning conditions are often applied. eg "Commence within five years", "Materials to match existing", "Landscaping to be agreed", "Window details to be submitted for approval", "Opening hours restricted to 8am-8pm Monday-Saturday and 9am-5pm Sundays".
• When objecting it is always worth pressing for conditions to be applied in the event of a successful application - e.g. "No side windows", "Obsured glass to be used in side windows"

• Attend the Committee meeting! Councillors like to see a good turnout.
• Decisions taken by the Committee can be viewed on the Council's website www.southend.gov.uk (scroll down to "Development Control Committee")
• Decisions taken by planning officiers under delegated powers can also be seen on the website www.southend.gov.uk
• Both formats are presented by date of decision so some hunting may be needed to trace an individual application
• Phone Development Control on 01702-215331; it helps to have the application reference number.

• If the application is amended and subsequently re-submitted, the amended proposal can only be evaluated by reference to the reasons for which the original application was refused. e.g. if an application was refused, say, only for insufficient parking spaces, then if the developer has dealt with that and put in more spaces, the application must be granted (no other reasons for refusal can be allowed). It is therefore imperative that all valid reasons for refusal are officially recorded when the refusal is decided.
• If an application is re-submitted following a refusal, the original letters of objection are not carried-forward. New letters of objection need to be submitted against the amended application (though of course these may be copies of the first ones).

• Although planning approval may have been granted, it is always worth checking building work as it progesses. Buildings seem invariably to be constructed at variance to the approved plans.
• According to the Chief Planning Officer, enforcement officers only investigate possible breaches when these are brought to their attention. The Council is not pro-active; residents have to police building work.
• If you need to report a possible breach, contact the planning enforcement team within the Development Control Group. This team will investigate any written complaint or allegation and can be contacted either by telephone to Neil Auger (West Team) 215730 or at the following address: Development Control Group
  Technical and Environmental Services Department
  PO Box 6, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 6ER
• Click here to download the complaints form the Council's website