Objecting to Planning Applications

When a planning application appears on a lamppost near your house, or a letter drops through your door, this tells you that the Council is carrying out a consultation about a proposed development that could change your street, your view, or your daily life. If you think that the proposed development could have a negative effect, here is some advice about how you can object to it.

The following are steps you can take to give your objection the best chance of influencing the outcome.

Step 1: Find the Application and Read It Properly

First, find the application on the local Council’s planning register. Every planning application sits on your local council’s online planning register, sometimes called a Planning Portal. This is searchable by address, reference number, or postcode. The planning notice that you saw in the street or the letter that was sent to you will give you details about the address and the reference number of the planning application itself.

Once you’ve found it, take the time to read the actual documents rather than relying on the notice alone, to find out about the scale of the development, and what it might look like. This will give you an idea of the likely impact it might have.

Step 2: Make a Note of the Deadline

The Council will have a 21-day consultation period from the date the notice was issued. Submit before that date if you possibly can. However, Councils have discretion to accept late comments, and it’s always best to submit a comment if it is important to you to know that the Council have been aware of your opinion. You can submit more than one comment, so if you forget to say something the first time, or if you have further information to add, you can always submit further comments.

Some Councils are particular about the format of the comment; for example, they may require you to use an online form. This also means that if you have more to say than the form allows, you should not hesitate to make a second comment on a new form. Sometimes the council will allow you to email your comments in the format you choose.

Always be respectful and as objective as possible when you make an objection to a planning application. Avoid making comments about the application, especially negative comments. It is not the time to pursue a dispute with your neighbour. Many Councils have rules stating that objections that are disrespectful will not be considered.

Finally, in your objection, it is helpful to say where you live or work, or what relation you have to the site that is the subject of the application.

Step 3: Your Objection must focus on Material Planning Considerations

The council will determine the application based on whether it complies with planning policy in your area. Apart from this, it will also look at the other features of the area, and this is where the material planning considerations can play a role. The council can only give weight to “material planning considerations”, meaning the specific features of the area in relation to issues genuinely covered by planning law and local policy. Strong feelings, however justified, count for nothing in planning terms unless they translate into one of the following.

• Loss of privacy or overlooking — windows, balconies, or upper floors positioned to look directly into your home or garden where none existed before.
• Loss of light — a development that breaches recognised daylight and sunlight guidance, often assessed against the 45-degree rule from your nearest habitable room window.
• Traffic and highway safety — genuine concerns about visibility splays, parking provision, or a material increase in traffic that the existing road network can’t safely absorb.
• Design, scale, and character — a building that’s out of proportion with its surroundings, particularly within a Conservation Area or near listed buildings, where local design policy carries real weight.
• Noise and disturbance — a proposed use, such as a commercial unit or HMO, that would introduce activity out of step with a quiet residential setting.
• Drainage, flooding, and ecology — where a development raises a genuine risk to surface water drainage or affects protected trees, hedgerows, or habitats.

What Won’t Help Your Case

Councils won’t take into account objections based on the following:

• Loss of a private view
• A reduction in your property’s value
• Disputes over boundaries or land ownership
• Fear of disruption during the construction phase itself (noise, dust, and site traffic while building work is underway are a separate matter, dealt with through construction management conditions rather than the planning decision itself)
• Provisions of your lease

Step 4: Submit Your Objection Properly

Submit directly through the council’s planning portal against the specific application reference. Include your full name and address, and clearly reference the application number. Be aware that your comments, along with your name and address, become part of the public planning file and are visible to anyone who looks up the application, including the applicant.

Write in plain, factual language. Reference specific drawings, policy numbers, or guidance documents where you can. A short, precise objection tied to two or three strong points will usually be sufficient. The objection does not have to be War and Peace.

Step 5: Numbers Matter, But Not the Way Most People Think

A planning committee does take note when a large number of residents object, as it signals genuine community concern. What it won’t do is count a 200-name petition as 200 separate objections; a petition is treated as a single response. If your street is organising, individual letters making distinct, fact-based points will do far more than everyone signing the same template.

Don’t forget to contact your local ward councillor directly. They may be able to advocate on your behalf with the planning case officer, or even sometimes with the application.

A Word of Caution From Experience

Objecting once isn’t always enough, and a refusal doesn’t always end the story. We’ve seen cases where a first application was refused, a second was withdrawn before determination (meaning any objections to it simply fell away with no record retained), and a third was approved without local residents realising it had even been submitted. You will need to engage every time a new application is submitted.

Do I need to instruct a Planning Solicitor to object to a planning application?

The honest answer is no. Anybody can object to any planning application, and if you live in the area and know it very well, you will have an advantage over professional advisors. However, bear in mind that applications are determined in accordance with whether they comply with planning policy and guidance in your area. This means that a planning solicitor, or sometimes a consultant, may be able to give advice on the more technical aspects of the proposed development, and when this happens, it may be useful to contact a planning solicitor.

Call 0203 983 0595 or get in touch online for a free 15-minute introductory conversation about your situation.