Meetings of the development control forum are held monthly in the Guildhall.
For dates and times of these meetings, please contact the committee section at democratic.services@cambridge.gov.uk, or using the contact details further down the webpage.
Forum attendees
The forum is attended by:
- up to three representatives of the petitioners. The representatives need not be city residents. You can ask your local councillor to present your petition if you wish
- up to three representatives of the applicant
- members of the relevant committee that will determine the application
- ward councillors
- the planning officer dealing with the application
- other relevant officers, including a senior officer who chairs the meeting
- the press and public can attend as observers
What to expect at the forum
The forum is informal but follows certain stages, including:
- introduction by chair and declaration of councillor interests - up to five minutes
- presentation of the application by the applicant/agent (up to three representatives) principally to address the issues raised by petitioners - up to 15 minutes
- presentation of the views of the petitioners against the application (up to three representatives) - up to 15 minutes
- presentation of the views of the petitioners in support of the application (up to three representatives) where applicable - up to 15 minutes
- presentation by the planning officer - up to 10 minutes
- member questions and issues arising - up to 30 minutes
- summing up by the petitioners against the application - up to five minutes
- summing up by the petitioners in support of the application - up to five minutes
- final comments of the chair.
In exceptional circumstances, the order of proceedings may be changed at the discretion of officers and the chair and spokesperson of the relevant committee.
After the forum
The committee manager will prepare brief notes of the forum and send them to all relevant parties who attended the meeting.
The planning officer will take the outcome of the meeting into account in any further negotiations on the application and in the report to committee. The notes of the forum will also be attached to the committee report as an appendix.
We will write to the lead petitioners a week before the application is to be reported to committee.
Public speaking is allowed at committee meetings.
If you wish to speak at the committee you should contact the committee manager in accordance with the public speaking requirements.