You can make a statement or a petition when planning applications are decided at Planning Committee meetings.
Most planning applications are decided by senior planning officers. Some applications may be decided by councillors at one of our two Planning Committees.
Senior planning officers can decide which applications the committees may want to consider based on factors including (but not limited to):
- whether the application is made by the council
- whether the application is made by an officer or an elected member
- whether the application is of particular significance to the development of Bristol
- the degree of wider public interest in the application
Where officers decide that consideration by a Planning Committee may be appropriate, the application is taken to the next available Planning Committee Agenda Briefing once the application is ready for determination.
At the agenda briefing the chair and party leads of that committee decide whether or not the application should be decided by the Planning Committee or delegated to officers for determination.
The relevant ward councillor can also ask that an application is decided by a Planning Committee. However, they need to request this during the call-in period which ends 7 days after the initial consultation period.
Planning applications are assigned to a Planning Committee based on when the application is ready to be heard. They're then sent to the next Planning Committee that is being held.
You can look at the agendas for Planning Committee meetings to see when and where the committees will meet and what applications they'll be deciding:
The agendas have links to the applications so you can find out more and look at application documents.
Get involved in a Planning Committee meeting
You can go to Planning Committee meetings to listen to the debate. If you have accessibility needs, please let us know before the meeting.
You can look at a committee report on a planning application by going to Planning Online 5 working days before the committee meeting. The report will include:
- the relevant planning issues
- a recommendation to grant or refuse planning permission
If you'd like to make a statement or a petition at the meeting, or if you have a question about having your say at a meeting, contact us at democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk or at 0117 922 3758.
You'll need to send us your statement or petition two working days before the meeting. Members can only take material planning considerations into account when making their decision and therefore your statement should focus on these. Comment on a planning application lets you know what you can comment on.
Find out the committee's decision
After the meeting you can look at the application details on Planning Online, which will be updated with the decision 2 days after the committee meeting