APRA Planning Policy

  1. Members are encouraged to look out for, and assess new planning applications, and to recognise works begun or completed without appropriate permissions, and to notify the APRA Committee if they have concerns.
  2. The APRA Committee will listen to members’ concerns on proposed or in-progress development affecting the APRA area (including licensing or change of use issues)
  3. APRA will submit comments and other correspondence to the relevant authorities where it is clear that development will negatively affect the historic appeal of the area; damage important attributes of the street scene that should be conserved; could be considered to be overdevelopment; result in a significant loss of amenity (including parking); be against licencing objectives; or be otherwise contrary to relevant local planning policy.
  4. APRA will not ordinarily become involved in developments that are not visible from publicly accessible streets and paths. (Extraordinarily, APRA may choose to become involved if there are significant overdevelopment concerns, health and safety concerns, or if an APRA member may suffer a significant loss of amenity or light).
  5. Disputes between neighbours: it is difficult for APRA to take sides especially where neighbours may all be members of APRA. APRA’s involvement in such cases would be to remain neutral unless one of the above principles applied.
  6. APRA is happy to support sustainable development that enhances the visual appeal of the area; or that provides for new accommodation done in a way that is sympathetic to the landscape and to the ability of the infrastructure to support that development (which includes availability of parking).
  7. As a matter of principle, APRA will consider submitting a complaint or objection where a development has taken place but no relevant applications or permissions for that development exist, i.e. unauthorised development, or if there are material planning breaches. The extent to which APRA will then continue to make comments (e.g., after retrospective permission has been applied for) will depend on whether the principles in the earlier bullet points are relevant.
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