Formal Objections

Once the application has been submitted, people don’t have long to object (around 21 days). So you will need to get moving on this quickly. We have heard that some local planning authorities accept objection letters beyond the date – but don’t count on this. Aim to get them in within the stated timescale. If people to wish to object after the date has passed, encourage them to do so because they might still be taken into account.

Anyone affected by the development can object – not just the few neighbours who were formally notified by the council. It is important that large numbers of people write to the local planning authority stating their objections. Not only does this show strength of opinion, but the planning authorities must take relevant objections into account in their decision. Formal letters of objection are public documents and will also be taken into consideration by the Government’s inspector in the event of an appeal.

Mobilise people to write. Speak to neighbours, people you know – get them to encourage people they know to write, or ask for contacts of people they know (for you to encourage them to write).

Be prepared to offer a drafting / typing service for those who would like to write but don’t have access to a computer, or perhaps are uncertain about what to say or think that their voice doesn’t count (which it does). Don’t rely on people saying they will write – quite often they won’t even if the original intention was there – force the pace by providing drafts.

Writing to the planning office is a numbers game, like a petition, and standard letters can be used. You could ask people to sign, address and date your standard letter when you collect their signature for your petition. Offer to post / deliver them to the local planning office. Try not to leave the letter with the individual, they might not get round to posting it. You can deliver the letters that people have signed in bulk to your planning department.

Having said that, not every letter should be standard – this looks too contrived. Task force members and key objectors should write their own individual letters where possible.

Are there any schools, hospitals, care homes, bus companies, other public services etc. that may be adversely affected by the development? Contact them and find their views – they may not even know about it. Objection letters from groups such as these often carry considerable weight with local planning authorities.

There will usually be two planning applications, one will be a duplicate, and objection letters should quote both application reference numbers.

Letters to the planning office should use objections that are relevant to planning issues, the strongest ones tend to be:

Pedestrian safety.
Increased traffic and road congestion.
Road safety.
Negative impact on bus operations (e.g. from increased traffic, congestion etc.).
Aspects of the proposed development that conflict with the local development plan.

Other concerns may include litter, noise and smells. These are often the most unpleasant aspects of living near to a McDonald’s restaurant, but they do tend to carry very little weight in planning terms and will tend to be mitigated by ‘conditions’ rather than lead to the application being refused. By all means mention them, but we would recommend that these points are secondary to pedestrian safety and traffic concerns.

Avoid emotional arguments in letters to the planning office, as officers will not take them into account. Objectors lose credibility with the planning officers when they do this. If anything, it gives McDonald’s an argument against you "They’re only objecting because it’s us, and that’s not a planning consideration". Indeed, it’s worse than that. English planning law prohibits a planning application from being turned down because of the identity of the applicant. So, what we are saying here is don’t – whatever you do – come across as anti-McDonald’s per se, because you will just be playing into their hands. Even if that’s what you are – just don’t say it. Object on rational, planning grounds.

Other issues that may be of concern to local people but are not considered relevant when judging planning are loss of a view, loss of lighting to what are considered non-habitable rooms (landing, bathrooms, plus secondary windows in habitable rooms), loss of property value, boundary disputes, moral / ethical issues (e.g. unhealthy food, advertising / promoting to children – even if the site is next to a school), competition from new business - if anything, the planning system is geared up to welcome competition – so don’t argue the destruction of your local fish and chip shop – and don’t suggest they argue this either.

Objection letters should be brief, clear and to the point. To help you write your own letter, see our suggested example objection letter. You should tailor this to the pedestrian safety, traffic and other planning issues in your own particular area.