The arrangements for public speaking at Planning Committee meetings have been updated following approval by full Council on 16 December 2024.  You are no longer required to submit a petition in order to address the Planning Committee and the Code of Practice below sets out the updated arrangements:

1. This Code of Practice explains the rules that apply to public speaking for planning applications which are determined by the Planning Committee.  Planning applications which are decided by officers under Rother District Council’s scheme of delegation do not come before the Planning Committee and so public speaking rights do not apply in respect of them.
   
   
2. If you wish to check whether a planning application in which you are interested is on the agenda for the Planning Committee, please look at the Planning Committee agendas published on the Council website: Planning Committee agendas page.
   
   The Planning Committee public speaking webpage is below: 
   Planning Committee public speaking webpage.
   
   Agendas are published one week before each Planning Committee meeting.
   
   
3. If you wish to speak at a Planning Committee meeting, you must have previously made a written representation to the Planning Department on the planning application which is being determined.  You can then register with Democratic Services by telephone on 01424 787811 or email to the following email address: Democraticservices@rother.gov.uk 
   
   All requests to speak must be submitted by 4pm on the Monday [including Bank Holidays] of the week in which the Planning Committee meeting is to be held.  Registration will start at 2pm on the date that the Agenda is published (Wednesday).
   You will need to provide the following details:
   • The planning application(s) in respect of which you wish to speak (including the address of the site and planning application reference number [starting with RR/]).
   • Confirm that you have sent in a submission to the Planning Department before the date that the Planning Agenda was published (including the date of your submission and the planning application reference number).
   • Your name, full postal address, a contact telephone number and email address.  
   • The speaker category which applies to you – objector; supporter; the applicant, an agent or another person on behalf of the applicant.
       
     
4. Each speaker will be allowed to address the Planning Committee for no more than five minutes.  If more than one speaker wishes to speak on the same issue, in advance of the meeting, they will need to appoint ONE spokesperson to address the Planning Committee on their behalf or share the five minute slot. 
   
   
5. The Planning Committee meeting will be managed by the Chair with the advice of the Officers of the Council.  Where there are registered speakers, applications will be dealt with as follows:
   • The Chair will introduce the application by reading out its planning application reference number, site address and Agenda page number.
   • The Planning Officer will introduce the planning application and provide the Planning Committee with any update as necessary.
   • The Chair will invite those who have registered to speak to come to the designated table and address the Planning Committee for no more than five minutes each or as set out in paragraph 4 above.
   • The Planning Committee may ask the Council Officers for clarification.  
   • The Planning Committee will then debate and decide the application. 
     
      
6. The order of speaking is as follows:
   • Nominated Parish or Town Council representative (where the application is located).  
   • Objectors.  
   • Supporters (the Applicant or Applicant’s nominated Representative will be prioritised). 
   • Rother District Council Ward Member who does not sit on the Planning Committee.   
     
     
7. You might find it helpful to write out your speech beforehand or at least to make notes about what you want to say to the Planning Committee.  Your speech must relate solely to your written submission(s).  You must not introduce new arguments, additional information or hearsay which has not been subject to Council and public scrutiny.  Please speak slowly and clearly into the microphone.  Time limits will be strictly observed.  
   
   
8. You must focus your comments only on your written submission(s) and relevant planning issues, for example:
   • The external design, appearance and layout of the development.
   • The impact on trees and nature conservation or overshadowing and privacy.
   • Highway safety.
   • Planning policy and government guidance.
     
     
9. You should avoid referring to matters which are not relevant to planning, for example:
   • Boundary disputes or other property rights.
   • The applicant’s motives, character or reputation. 
   • The loss of property value or loss of a view.
   • Matters covered by other legislation.
     
     
10. You must not pass written material such as diagrams and photographs around the table to Members of the Planning Committee.
    
    
11. Once you have delivered your speech you will not be allowed to speak again.
    
    
12. The Chair may ask you a question to clarify a point of fact, if required in exceptional circumstances.  Other Members of the Planning Committee are not permitted to ask questions of the speakers. 

The table below explains the number of speakers and timings that will apply to different types of applications in more detail:

1. The Public Speaking Scheme will only be available for undecided Planning Applications, and Reserve Matters applications (this does not include any other application type e.g. discharge of conditions reports). 
2. Speaker(s) register on a first-come-first-served basis, with the exception of the applicant or applicants’ representative who will be given preference as a speaker in support of an application. 
3. In the circumstances where there is more than one application in relation to the same site, for the same proposed development, (e.g. planning and listed building) there will only be one set of speakers. 
4. If more than one speaker wishes to speak on the same issue, in advance of the meeting, they will need to appoint a spokesperson to address the Planning Committee on their behalf or share the five minute slot. 
5. Speeches should only contain information on points made in the speaker’s original submission(s) (information that is already uploaded on the Council’s website); new arguments cannot be introduced. 
6. Speeches must not contain aggressive or abusive language, or make personal remarks regarding any Member, officer or third party. 
7. Visual aids are NOT permitted (information should have already be uploaded to the Council’s website). 
8. There will be no questioning of the speaker(s) by Members of the Planning Committee. The Chair of the Planning Committee may ask a question to clarify a point of fact, if required in exceptional circumstances. 
9. Ward Members (non-Planning Committee Members) cannot ask officers or Members of the Planning Committee any questions at the meeting. 
10. Only a formally nominated representative of the Parish or Town Council where the application site is located will be allowed to speak (five minutes).  Where an application site straddles across two parish boundaries, the formally nominated representative of each of the Parish and Town Councils will share the five minute slot.  
11. There will be no public speaking for deferred applications where public speaking has already taken place. 
12. In the case of a very large application, in excess of 100 dwellings or equivalent, there will be the ability, at the discretion of the Chair of the Planning Committee in consultation with the Head of Planning, for one additional speaker/s (five minutes) for or against but in any event the time available for and against must be equal. 

* Definition of a large major application:  

3. the provision of a dwellinghouses where – 
   1. the number of dwellinghouses to be provided is 100 or more; or 
   2. the development is to be carried out on a site having an area of five hectares or more and it is not known whether the development falls within sub-paragraph (c)(i); 
4. the provision of a building or buildings where the floor space to be created by the development is 10,000sqm or more; or 
5. development carried out on a site having an area of 10 hectares or more.