Please be aware that there will be some delays in our response times which is unavoidable at the moment.  We are experiencing an increase in Covid-related staff absence and many of our staff are working hard to balance work and home schooling.  The Council is committed to supporting our staff to work flexibly to enable a balance to be reached which means our officers may be working different hours.   

Please bear with us at this difficult time.  We are mindful of the personal pressures that a third lockdown places on us all and we respectfully ask that you are considerate when communicating with our staff.

For more details on our revised processes, please see our FAQs Covid-19 impact on planning processes. Thank you for your understanding.

Supporting you through the process

We have some supporting guidance to help you. Please see our commenting on a planning application fact sheet. Or you can view our self help video which guides you through the process of tracking applications and making comments online.

• What is included in the planning register?
• Commenting on a planning application
• How to comment online
• Other ways to comment
• Never miss a planning application

Further reading about the application process - Day in the life of a Planning Application 

Our interactive guide; a Day in the life of a Planning Application takes you through the entire planning process from start to finish.

Never miss a planning application

Alerts can be set up to notify you of new applications in a particular area. To set this up, please follow the process below:

• Log in to your Website Account for planning and click “new search.” Or you can register here for a new account and then access the online planning register
• Search for applications in your area of interest. Top Tip: if you do a search on a full post code it will only show results for a few properties, but if you leave off the last letter it will cover a much broader area. To do a search for an entire parish you will need to go into the advanced search options tab. 
• When the search results come back, click on the "save search" button. 
•  You will then be asked whether you would like to be notified via email about new search results. Click “yes”.

There is no limit to the number of alerts you can receive on different sites and locations, all you need to do is set up a new search for each one.

Publicity during Covid

Planning applications are advertised in the local press as usual.  We may not be displaying a site notice for the majority of applications.  

We will continue to send neighbour notifications to residents adjoining a site.  For most types of development, the minimum publicity for planning applications is either:

• a Site Notice or
• a neighbour notification. 

Site notices are required for some applications including:

• development affecting a Public Right of Way
• development representing a departure from the Development Plan
• applications for EIA development accompanied by an Environmental Statement
• major applications
• Permission in Principle
• Advertisement Consent
• Listed Building Consent for alterations  or extension or demolition
• development in a Conservation Area.  

For these types of applications, we will post a site notice to applicants to display.  We can also agree an extension of time until travel restrictions have ended instead.

Temporary changes to how we can engage have been published in our Statement of Community Involvement. 

Please note to comment online you will need a website account. Currently it is not possible to register for a new account. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you would like to comment on a planning application but do not currently have an account please email your comments to planning@cornwall.gov.uk or see other ways to comment below.

Commenting on a planning application

Comment, support or object to any application that's currently open for consultation. Search for applications using the application number or part of the address. 

All comments will be recorded and made available to view online.

Please note:

• Please include your name and address with any comments (we will accept e-mail addresses), so we can contact you about your comments if required. We can't accept confidential or anonymous comments
• Please read the Council's Under 18 Policy for information in respect of submissions by children
• Please don’t include any other personal information in your comments.
• You are responsible for any statements you make, so please make sure your comments aren’t offensive, inflammatory or libellous. If they are, we will remove them in line with our website terms of use
• Views expressed by third parties on our website are not the views of Cornwall Council
• Please see our Privacy Notices page for details of data protection

If you include any information, which you feel shouldn't be made public. Please make sure you highlight this at the start of your letter and we will review before publishing (paper or email letters only).

To find out more about how this process works; what is suitable to include in your comments and what are grounds for an objection. Please go to our how to respond to planning applications page.

We will not respond to individual comments, but the progress of a planning application is available to view via our planning register. 

Commenting during Covid restrictions

If you:

• are self-isolating or
• have no access to email or internet

the best way to send us your comments is to ask a relative or friend to either:

• email them to planning@cornwall.gov.uk or
• submit them via the online planning register. This adds your comments to the application instantly.

Planning officers consider all issues that are material planning considerations.  Please call 0300 1234 151 if someone cannot submit comments on your behalf.  A member of the Council’s Contact Centre will be able to help you.

We are unable to accept comments sent in by post to any of the main offices. There is a risk that letters sent by post may not be taken into account.   If you have posted hard copy comments to us, you can:

• email planning@cornwall.gov.uk
• mark it “possible duplicate?” in the subject line and we will check. 

The Government amended the timescale for commenting on a planning application.  It has been increased from 14 to 21 days.  This does not include applications which affect:

• the setting of a listed building or
• the character or appearance of a conservation area

This is because 21 days are already allowed for these developments.  Environmental Impact Assessments are also not affected as the 30 days to comment stays the same.

How to comment online

You can comment on planning applications using our planning register, but you need to have an online account with the Council. If you haven’t already registered or logged in, you will be asked to do so before you can leave any comments. Appropriate checks will be made to ensure the authenticity of online accounts and comments posted. Any accounts or comments found to be fraudulent will be removed. If your comments are lengthy then we recommend you type them first and then paste them into the comments form.

If you need help to make a comment on an application. Please contact our Customer Relations team egdcustomerrelations@cornwall.gov.uk 

Other ways to comment

Read our how to respond to planning applications page for details on how to email or post your comments to us. We will obscure your signature when we make your comments available online.

What is included in the planning register

Most archived planning application data and some archived documents are available to view. Depending on the information transferred from the previous County/District authorities, But we cannot guarantee a full planning history using this search engine.

Any Planning applications withdrawn before a decision was made. Are only viewable for 2 years from the date of withdrawal. After this period only limited information will be available.  Withdrawn Applications will still appear as part of the history searches. But the documents will not be available.

If any applications are made invalid after registration. They will be removed from the web-site until the extra information required has been received. 

Pre-application planning enquiry details contain minimal information because of their early, preliminary status. Pre-applications will have PREAPP at the end of the reference number eg PA20/06573/PREAPP.

Email notifications can be requested for applications and enquiries in your area or any other areas of interest. You will receive alerts as the applications progress through the planning system.

You can view plans and documents relating to a planning application via the online planning register using the documents tab. Please view our planning documents help card for instructions.

The Head of Planning gives permission for you to download (paper or electronically) plans and documents relating to planning applications under Section 47 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. You cannot copy the documents for your own use as this will infringe copyright unless you have the permission of the copyright owner (the person that drew the plans or the author of the document).