Do's and Dont's of commenting on application

Do:

• Read this guide before making a comment - remember, anyone can comment on an application

• Provide your comments in writing - online submission is easiest

• Include your name and address, so we can attribute relevant weight to the content of the comments

• Get your comments in within the consultation period

• Include a telephone number and / or email address, so that we can contact you about your comments or a Planning Committee date if we need to

• Stick to material planning considerations

• Understand the Data Protection and GDPR implications of how your data and comments will be used

• Be honest and considered in your comments, remembering they will be publicly available

Don't:

• Provide anonymous comments

• Provide a signature - these are not required and do not add weight to comments received

• Request your comments are kept confidential, or provide information you wouldn't want to be made public - e.g. financial information, medical information etc

• Contain any material which is defamatory of any person

• Be offensive, inflammatory, discriminatory, violent, threatening or libelous in your comments, these will not be considered by the case officer

• Promote sexually explicit material

• Breach copyright, or any other legal requirement

• Promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age

• Be likely to deceive any person

• Infringe any copyright, database right or trade mark of any other person

• Promote any illegal activity or violence

• Be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence

• Be threatening, abusive or invade another's privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety

• Be likely to harass, upset, embarrass, alarm or annoy any other person

• Be used to impersonate any person, or to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person

• Give the impression that they emanate from us, if this is not the case

• Advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse

• Give any information relating to medical data for yourself or others; this is unlawful for us to process

• Use any personal names - please use words such as applicant, neighbour etc

• Give any personal information, such as you are living on your own, you are on holiday next week etc