The public notification period (also referred to as advertising) allows adjoining property owners and the local community to object to a planning proposal.
The objection must have planning merit – that means it must address how the objector will be impacted by the proposal.
For example: “This application will cause more vehicle and foot traffic in an already congested area. This will cause extreme delays and affect my everyday travels”
It is not sufficient to simply give your opinion or say “I don’t like it!”
The public notification period lasts 14 days (including weekends). Once the public notification period has finished, Council will confirm whether any objections have been received.
If no objections have been received, Council will commence writing the final report and issue the final decision (permit or refusal).
If several objections are received, the application may need to go before a planning panel for a decision to be made. This may be an internal planning committee or Council meeting – it depends on the Council.
The number of objections received (providing that they have merit) can often be indicative of whether Council will be supportive of the application.
In the background, Council are obliged to receive objections, even after the advertising period is complete.
So word to the wise: if your application has completed the public notification period with zero objections, keep the pressure on Council to issue a decision!