Maidstone Borough Council
Strategic Planning Privacy Notice
Why we require your details for you to make a representation
The Council has a duty to ensure that representations are duly made. When you submit a representation on a Strategic Planning document, such as the Local Plan or a Neighbourhood Plan, only your name and your comments will be available for public viewing. We need your address to be able to process your representation and, if possible, an email address. Your address/email address will not be made public. Following public consultations, plans are examined by an independent Inspector or Examiner who will need to know who has commented on the plan and what has been said.
- We need your name because it is important for us, the Inspector and all other participants in the consultation and examination process to know who has made representations on the plan in order to ensure an open and fair examination. If names are not made available, it is likely that your representation will not be considered at examination. Your name will be made public.
- We need your address to be able to process your representation and confirm that it has been duly made, in accordance with paragraph 7 of the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement. Although the Planning Inspector does not need to know the address or other contact details of those who have made representations, the Programme Officer for the examination will need access to these details so they can contact participants and administer the examination (see Procedure Guide for Local Plan Examinations 2020, published by the Planning Inspectorate). Also, we can contact you by post if you have not advised us of a change of email address. Your address will not be made public.
- We would like an email address for ease of contact because we acknowledge receipt of your representation and inform you of upcoming consultations. In some cases, in order to run virtual events by means of video or telephone conference, the Planning Inspector may need to know the e-mail address and/or telephone number of those making representations. Your email address will not be made public.
- Your telephone number is optional and will not be made public.
- The comments set out in your representation will be made public.
The Maidstone Statement of Community Involvement sets out when and how stakeholders and the local community can get involved in the preparation of the local plan and related documents, and neighbourhood plans. The Statement can be accessed at https://localplan.maidstone.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/375423/Statement-of-Community-Involvement-FINAL-amended.pdf
Representations on strategic planning documents that are submitted during consultation events will be retained for seven years or the life of the adopted plan, whichever is the shortest.
Published date: 22 February at 9:33 am