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Chelmsford City Council

View or comment on planning applications

We will be carrying out maintenance work on our Public Access system. This means it will be unavailable between 4.30pm and 9.30pm on Saturday 15 May. We apologise for any inconvenience.

View or comment now

You can use Public Access to view planning applications that have been submitted to us. 

You can search for applications, track their progress and add comments.

Public Access uses tabs, and you can use these to:

  • view details of the application, including a summary, contacts and important dates
  • make a comment if the application is in the consultation period
  • view comments from consultees
  • view plans and documents, including drawings, decision notices and officer reports
  • look at any related cases
  • view the location of the application on a map 

Many of the building plans, documents and drawings include very detailed information. You may find it easier to view these documents on a desktop computer, rather than on a smartphone or tablet.

If you don’t have access to the internet or a desktop computer, you can use self-service desktop computers at:

You can comment on current planning applications during the consultation period. 

It is not currently possible to submit comments on Public Access from a mobile or tablet device.

You need to search for the application you want to comment on. Once you have found the application, you need to select the ‘Make a Comment’ tab.

If you have a detailed comment, you may want to write it in another program, such as Microsoft Word, then paste it into Public Access. This is because sessions on Public Access time out after 30 minutes.

We will only consider comments if they relate to planning matters. Planning matters include:

  • the size and scale of the proposal    
  • potential loss of light   
  • the design and appearance of the proposal    
  • potential loss of privacy or increased overlooking   
  • the impact on traffic and parking
  • potential for additional noise and disturbance
  • the impact on trees, landscape or existing buildings   

Planning matters do not include:

  • property value
  • the loss of a view
  • land ownership disputes
  • preference for an alternative development
  • competition for existing business
  • the personal circumstance of the applicant     

If you want us to consider your comment on a planning application, you need to provide your name and address.

If you don't, we will classify the comment as anonymous, and will not:

  • consider it as part of the decision process

  • be able to notify you of any related planning applications 

We will make all comments we receive publicly available. We will publish comments online two to three days after we receive them. 

If you would like to view a comment on an application we received before 1 April 2019, you can complete our online request form.

We will not display, share or consider any comments that are inappropriate, including those that are racist, inflammatory or derogatory.

If we receive comments by post or in a format that we can't copy from, we will display a summary of the comment.

We recommend that you use Public Access to make your comments. However, we do accept comments submitted by post.

If you do submit your comment by post, you need to include: 

  • your name and address
  • the planning application reference number

You can send your comments to:

Planning Development Management Services
Chelmsford City Council
Civic Centre
Duke Street
Chelmsford
CM1 1JE

We will summarise any handwritten comments and make them publicly available.

Contact Planning

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Last updated: 05 November 2020

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