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View and comment on planning applications

Use Public Access to view and comment on planning applications. Anyone can make a comment on a planning application. You do not need to register to look at or comment on an application. If you do register then you will also be able to:

  • track applications
  • save your searches
  • get email notifications about tracked applications and new search results

Guidance on how to track applications and save searches

If you wish to track a pending planning application, find the application by carrying out a simple search in Public Access and click on the Track button at the top of the page.

If you wish to receive notifications of planning applications that are submitted within a particular parish or ward, please follow the instructions below (You must be logged in to use this feature).

  • Select the Advance search option
  • Select the relevant Parish or Ward
  • Select a date range
  • Click on Search
  • Click on Save Search, giving it a title of choice
  • Tick the box to get a notification via email about new results
  • Click on Save
Search for a planning application

As well as current applications you can also search for:

  • decided applications back to 18 March 2004
  • appeals information back to 01 January 2007
  • tree applications back to 30 October 2007

From 2 January 2024 the council will be changing its procedure for the viewing of historic planning files. For applications older than 18 March 2004 you will need to email a request (including full address that you wish to search and any specific planning reference numbers you may be aware of) to [email protected] where they will review the planning history for the address required and they will confirm to you what files we hold.

Once this information has been confirmed the team will then collate the information and provide you with the contents of the file inline with what the council legally holds as per the Planning Register and any sensitive information will be redacted as per the council's data policies.

This will take up to 15 working days and will be provided to you via a PDF attached to an email. Should you require printed copies please make this clear and the team will provide a quote as to the cost of providing this to you.

Commenting on applications

You can comment on planning applications and submit your comments online through Public Access.  

Alternatively you can send a letter, quoting the application reference number, together with your full name and address, to: Development Management, Cotswold District Council,Trinity Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 1PX

When making comments you must provide your name and address, if you do not your comments will be considered anonymous and your views cannot be taken into account. We will remove sensitive information such as telephone numbers, email addresses and signatures. 

Comments should not contain remarks which might be regarded as offensive, personal or libellous. We do reserve the right to withhold from publication any comments not considered suitable for public view.

If you decide to organise a petition, please make sure that there is a contact name and address for the person organising the petition - this is the only person we will correspond with. Please note individuals appearing on the petition will not be recorded separately on our records or receive any correspondence. 

You can support or object to a proposal, but you should bear in mind that planning applications can only be decided on the basis of planning issues, such as:

  • the effect on neighbours' daylight, sunlight or privacy
  • the impact of traffic, road access, highway safety, parking
  • the appearance, bulk or height of the scheme
  • the impact on amenity, such as noise generated by the proposal
  • the potential loss of a valued local service or use, such as a shop
  • the effect on wildlife, listed buildings, trees etc

We cannot consider issues such as:

  • the effect on property values
  • private issues between neighbours such as land covenants, land and boundary disputes
  • competition between rival businesses
  • party wall disputes and fire escape matters
  • problems while construction works are being carried out, such as noise, dust and disturbance by construction vehicles
  • loss of a private view

Please note that all consultation comments are checked and manually added to the website, sometimes this can take a couple of days to show and you should not be concerned about any such delay. All comments are sent to the case officer at the earliest possible stage and will be taken into consideration.

Your personal data, our disclaimer and copyright

Personal data

The documentation for planning applications and any comments received in response to them, whether objections or supporting statements, must be made available for public inspection, in accordance with the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985. Provision is made within the Data Protection Legislation for publishing such information. This means that we cannot treat such documentation or representations as confidential.

Documents submitted, and any comments made, will form part of the background documentation to the planning application, and are evidential information for this legal process. In accordance with the requirements of The Environmental Information Regulations 2004, we publish planning applications and supporting documents on the website as well as making these available for inspection in hard copy. You should be aware that address details form part of the application documentation and will therefore be available online. Once the application has been determined public access to the correspondence will be restricted in order to protect your privacy/data but it will be retained on the file and is still available to view by planning officers

Disclaimer

The material on this website does not necessarily represent the full extent of information available about planning applications, or necessarily all the information retained on the Statutory Planning Register, held by us, the Planning Authority. Certain information may be withheld from internet publication.

Whilst we make every effort to ensure that the information provided on this website is correct and accurate, we cannot accept any liability or responsibility should you rely on the information provided and later find it to have been inaccurate.

Copyright: terms and conditions of using documents and maps

Plans, drawings and other material submitted to Cotswold District Council are protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (section 47). You may only use material which is downloaded and/or printed from our website for consultation purposes, to compare current planning applications with previous schemes and to check whether developments have been completed in accordance with approved plans. Further copies must not be made without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

Ordnance Survey maps and maps created from Ordnance Survey material are subject to Crown copyright. You may view or download this material for private and non-commercial purposes only. Such mapping may not be further sub-licensed, sold, demonstrated, lent, or otherwise transferred or exploited without the prior written permission of the Ordnance Survey.

For help using Public Access, read the guide: