Public participation in Planning Committee

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Dear Middlesbrough Council,

Civic Voice, the national charity for the civic and conservation movement is campaigning to put public participation at the heart of the planning system. With this in mind, I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:

1. Can you confirm how long, in minutes, a community group such as a Civic Society is permitted to speak at your local council’s Planning Committee? (By ‘Planning Committee’ we mean your local authority’s committee of elected members which determines planning applications. It may be known by a different name in your local authority).

2. Is there a limit on the number of registered speakers permitted to speak at your Planning Committee? If yes, please specify the maximum number of speakers allowed.

3. Is there a limit on the total time allowed for registered speakers? If yes, please provide details of the time restriction.

3. Are your Planning Committee procedure rules publicly available online? If yes, please provide the weblink.

4. Can you provide a contact email address for the secretariat for your Planning Committee, should we require any further information?

Yours faithfully,

Sarah James

foi, Middlesbrough Council

Thank you for contacting the Information Requests Team. If your email is
concerning a request for information, please treat this email as an
acknowledgment of your request. A response will be provided within 20
working days of receipt.

If you are requesting personal information about yourself (Subject Access
Request), a member of the team will contact you regarding making your
request live. Subject Access Requests are subject to a statutory 30
calendar day response period.

Regards
Information Requests Team

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foi, Middlesbrough Council

1. The applicant/agent has 5 minutes to present their case. An objector also has 5 minutes to present their case (unless there is more than 1 objector who wishes to speak - then they will be asked to nominate a spokesperson or divide the time limit of 5 minutes between them).

2. There is not a limit on the number of speakers who are permitted to speak (although this is at the Chair's discretion). However, speakers must be mindful of the 5 minute time limit (5 minutes to recommend approval and 5 minutes to object).

3. Please see 1.

4. Upon arrival at the meeting, the Democratic Services Officer advises those in attendance of the procedure. A brief overview of the procedure is also detailed here -> https://www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/plannin...

5. The committee clerk is Georgina Moore ([email address], 01642 729711).

Regards

Ann-Marie

FOI team

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