Planning Committee
Please note we are now conducting council committee meetings face-to-face in line with Government requirements but will still broadcast them online via video conferencing
Councillors will meet in a meeting room but will also use Microsoft Teams to take part in meetings. You can watch the proceedings online.
You can find the meeting agendas by looking at the Planning Committee meetings page
We will also publish the link to each meeting via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Each meeting has an agenda which is published five days in advance. Copies of the agenda and reports are available online, on request and at the meeting.
Information about Planning Committee
The Planning Committee is responsible for determining certain planning applications, some tree preservation orders, and some changes to footpath and bridleway orders.
The Head of Planning makes decisions on approximately 90 per cent of applications under delegated powers. The planning committee generally considers applications for larger developments (such as applications for 200 or more houses or where the site is 2 hectares or more in size). Smaller applications can be considered by the committee at the request of a councillor or the Head of Planning.
A planning committee meeting is held approximately every 3 weeks.
Watching a meeting
You can watch a meeting of the Planning Committee via the council’s YouTube channel, a link for which is provided on each agenda.
We hold all our meetings in-person, streamed live via our YouTube channel, and we record them in order that you can view the relevant meeting at a time to suit you, rather than needing to attend in person. If you have not registered to speak at the meeting, we would encourage you to view the meeting via YouTube rather than attending in person.
Speaking at Planning Committee
You must have made a written response to the original consultation on a planning application in order to be eligible to speak at a Planning Committee meeting. All those who responded to the consultation will be sent a message with more information about this before the meeting. If you did not respond to a consultation about a planning application on the agenda, you will not be able to speak to the committee.
If you want to speak, you must register with planning services by noon on the last working day before the meeting at their address PlanningBusinessEnquiries@southandvale.gov.uk.
Each category of speaker (parish council, objectors, supporters) is allowed a maximum of five minutes to address the committee. If several people register in a category, they have to share the time.
Speaking at a meeting remotely
If you have registered to speak and would like to do so remotely, please inform Democratic Services and you will be provided with an email confirming the meeting details, a link to the meeting, and instructions on how you can make your statement.
As we believe remote attendance to be the most convenient form of attendance and speaking at a Planning Committee meeting, primarily due to the significant traffic in Abingdon and limited seating space available in our meeting room, we encourage all speakers to attend in this way.
Speaking at a meeting in person
If you have registered to speak and would like to do so in person, please report to the reception at Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon, OX14 3JE where one of our marshals will assist you.
At a meeting, the committee, led by the Chair, follows the published agenda, unless the Chair advises otherwise at the start of the meeting. On occasion, the committee may consider items on the agenda without the public present. The agenda for the meeting will indicate if and when the public cannot observe the business.
Contact us - Democratic services
01235 422520
(Text phone users add 18001 before dialing)
South Oxfordshire District Council
Abbey House
Abbey Close
Abingdon
OX14 3JE
