You can comment or object in several ways:

Comment online about a planning application

You can write to the Chief Planning Officer who will take your views into account when deciding applications under delegated powers and when preparing reports for those applications decided by the Planning Development Control Committee. Send your correspondence to:

Planning and Building Control
PO Box 96
Waterside House
Sale Waterside
Tatton Road
Sale
M33 7ZF

Please quote the planning application number if you know it.

Contact your local Ward Councillors to seek their support. They may write to Planning or 'call-in' the application for decision by the Planning Committee. To find out who your local Councillor is, you can use our online ward checker.

You may be able to speak at the Planning Committee. The following information will prepare you for this.

You must decide what you want to say to the Council before it makes a decision, but please be aware that under Planning law the Council's decision must accord with the Trafford Unitary Development Plan unless other planning considerations, including the points that you make, are of sufficient weight to justify a different decision that can be defended on appeal to the Government's Planning Inspectorate.

Examples of proper planning considerations include:

• Policies and Proposals in the Trafford Unitary Development Plan (e.g. green belt)
• Government planning advice (e.g. Planning Policy Guidance Notes), appeal decisions and case law
• Impact on the character and appearance of an area (e.g. scale, massing and design)
• Impact on residential amenity (e.g. overlooking, over dominance, traffic)
• Impact on highway safety (e.g. pedestrian safety)

The Council can give no weight to purely private interests such as:

• The personal characteristics of the applicant
• Disputes over the ownership of the land affected
• Private rights of way, private drains and other private easements
• Property values
• Competition between rival companies, shops, restaurants etc
• Contrary to popular belief, the Council cannot refuse an application merely because many people object to it or approve one on the basis that many people support it or no-one objects

Speaking to the Committee if your application is referred to the Committee for a decision?

You can speak on a Planning Application only if it is on the agenda. Many applications are decided by the officers under delegated powers, but your letter(s) will be taken into account however the decision is made. An Application is normally considered by the Committee only when:

• At least 6 people (from different addresses) have written to the Chief Planning Officer with views that are contrary to the officers' intended recommendation
• A local Trafford Councillor has requested that it be brought ('called -in') to the Committee
• It is for a scale or type of development otherwise required to be considered by the Committee (for example, 10 or more houses)

Normally only a single spokesperson is allowed to speak (i.e. one for and one against an application). If several people wish to speak, they should get together to agree who this spokesperson should be and inform the Council. The Planning service will give you the names of the people who have already said they want to speak to help you arrange this.

You should contact us using the details on this page.

Contact the Service no later than 12.30pm. on the day prior to the Committee Meeting. You must provide a daytime telephone number.

We will ring you with the time and date of the Committee once the agenda has been prepared. This will occur no earlier than 3 working days before the meeting, but if you have not provided a telephone number it may be as late as the day of the meeting itself.

Where are the Committee meetings held?

Committees meeting are held at Quay West, Trafford Wharf Road, M17 1HH. The nearest tram stops are at MediaCityUK or Harbour City. The X50 bus service stops outside the Quay West building on Trafford Wharf Road and the 250 bus service stops nearby on Wharfside Way (bus timetable). There is limited public car parking at Quay West after 5pm. The building entrance is in front of the footbridge.

Upon arrival, you should introduce yourself to the Committee Clerk at the required time (6:15pm on Thursdays on 3 week cycle).

When will I get to speak?

You should come to the microphone when called to speak by the Chairman of the Committee.

Speak once and for up to 3 minutes. It is important that you prepare yourself and focus on the issues that concern you, but you will not need to repeat all of the points raised in your letter(s) as they will have been summarised in the Committee Report.

Having spoken you must leave the matter to be discussed by the Committee and not join in the debate, but the Chairman of the Committee may ask you question(s) to clarify any point(s).

Please note that you cannot demand to speak at the Committee as of right.