Statement of community consultation SoCC

A SoCC maybe produced at the pre-application stage of a planning application to establish the way an applicant will consult with the local community. See also Statement of community involvement SCI

The applicant must consult on the content of the SoCC with the local authorities within whose boundary a proposed development would be located and allow at least 28 days for responses. Consultation on the SoCC provides an opportunity for the host local authorities to help the applicant prepare a consultation programme that is tailored to the needs of the communities likely to be affected by the development. The applicant must have regard to the comments received from the host local authorities and then carry out the consultation with the local community as set out in the SoCC.

If local people have ideas on how community consultation is best carried out, they can submit them to their local authority to pass on to the applicant in its response to the SoCC. Alternatively they can advise the applicant directly using the contact details provided in their publicity material or on the Planning Inspectorate project page.

Section 47 of the Planning Act 2008 sets out the duties placed on applicants in respect of consulting the local community, as follows:

1. The applicant must prepare a statement setting out how the applicant proposes to consult, about the proposed application, people living in the vicinity of the land.
2. Before preparing the statement, the applicant must consult each local authority that is within section 43 (1) about what is to be in the statement.
3. The deadline for the receipt by the applicant of a local authority’s response to consultation under subsection (2) is the end of the period of 28 days that begins with the day after the day on which the local authority receives the consultation documents.
4. In subsection (3) “the consultation documents” means the documents supplied to the local authority by the applicant for the purpose of consulting the local authority under subsection (2).
5. In preparing the statement, the applicant must have regard to any response to consultation under subsection (2) that is received by the applicant before the deadline imposed by subsection (3).
6. Once the applicant has prepared the statement, the applicant must (za) make the statement available for inspection by the public in a way that is reasonably convenient for people living in the vicinity of the land,(a) publish in a newspaper circulating in the vicinity of the land, a notice stating where and when the statement can be inspected, and (b) publish the statement in such manner as may be prescribed.
7. The applicant must carry out consultation in accordance with the proposals set out in the statement.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Authority monitoring report.
• Community.
• Community engagement.
• Community plan.
• Consultation process.
• Detailed planning application.
• Development management.
• Development plan.
• Development plan documents.
• Local development scheme.
• Local plan.
• London Borough of Enfield's heritage strategy.
• Neighbourhood plan.
• NPPF.
• Planning authorities.
• Planning permission.
• Supplementary planning documents.
• The London Plan.
• Consultation process.
• Detailed planning application.
• Planning obligation.