Petitions

Why submit a petition? 

If you send us a petition on a live planning application, we will: 

• ensure the relevant planning officer and councillors on the Hillingdon Planning Committee are made aware of your petition
• inform your local ward councillors about your petition and how they may be able to assist
• contact you if the opportunity arises to directly address councillors on the planning committee before they make a decision. 

Please note: On all planning applications, the opportunity to address the planning committee will only apply when the planning officer's recommendation on the application does not accord with a petition's desired outcome. This change was approved by the council with effect from Thursday 12 October 2023. 

Further information about planning petitions can be found in  Petition Scheme 2024 (PDF) [128KB].  

Planning application petitions we accept

Petitions can be accepted on applications;

• for full planning permission, including householder applications
• for outline planning permission and reserved matters
• under S73 of the Town and Country Planning Act (1990) (as amended)
• for permission in principle and technical details consent.

Planning application petitions we can't accept

Petitions can't be accepted on applications;

• for prior notification/approval
• for tree works
• for non-material amendments to a planning permission
• to discharge a condition(s) pursuant to a planning permission
• for listed building consent
• for advertisement consent
• for certificates of lawfulness
• for permission under the High Speed 2 Act.

Please note: If a petition is received on these applications, it will not be accepted nor referred to the planning committee.  However, the petition will be included within the planning file and considered by planning officers.

How to submit a petition

For a valid petition, there needs to be a lead petitioner creating the petition who must be a Hillingdon resident. Including them, the petition must also have a minimum of 20 signatories from Hillingdon residents.

You can create a paper petition or an electronic petition - more details, including templates and where to send your completed petition can be found on our Creating and submitting a petition web pages.

What happens after I submit a petition?

You will get a swift acknowledgement with more information about the process.

Please note: Planning applications can take a number of weeks (or months, in some cases) before any decision is made on them. This is to assess all the planning documentation against planning policies and to consider any representations received, including any petition.

A formal report will then be prepared for whoever is making the decision with all relevant information.

1. If the planning application is to be determined by a planning officer, the planning service will notify you of the decision made, which should be in accordance with the desired outcome of your petition. This will be by email (if you have provided one) or by letter. 
2. Should the matter be referred to a meeting of the Hillingdon Planning Committee instead, because the planning officer's recommendation on the planning application is not in accordance with a petition's wishes, then the lead petitioner will be invited to address the planning committee. This ensures the petitioners' views can be considered by councillors before they make a decision.  

Attending a planning committee 

If the application is referred to the planning committee with a petition, we will be in contact with the lead petitioner about 1 week before the meeting. If you are unable to attend, you can submit a written representation instead to be read out, nominate a representative to speak on your behalf or see if a local ward councillor can assist. 

Planning committee meetings are held at the Civic Centre, Uxbridge, and the general procedure will be:  

• a planning officer will introduce the application 
• the lead petitioner (or their representative) can speak for up to 5 minutes about the application 
• the applicant (or their agent) can speak for up to 5 minutes about their application, if the petition is objecting to their application 
• ward councillors can speak for up to 3 minutes about the application  
• a conservation area panel member may also speak if the matter is within a conservation area
• councillors on the committee may ask questions of all parties and then make a decision on the application. 

Please note: Speaking times may be changed if multiple petitions are received about the same application. All petitions in relation to a planning application need to be with us at least 48 hours before the planning committee meeting. In exceptional circumstances, the chair has discretion to allow petitions after this deadline.  

All planning committee meetings are broadcast live on the council's YouTube channel (opens new window). Those attending to speak or submit written representations should, therefore, be aware that their statements, in full, will be on public record.  

Petitions on deferred or withdrawn applications

After you have put a petition together and spoken about the application at a planning committee meeting, if the application goes on the agenda for a subsequent meeting, you will need to start a new petition if you would like to speak again.  

Similarly, if the application relating to your petition is withdrawn by the applicant and a new application is submitted (with a different application number), you will need to initiate a new petition for consideration. This is because the council cannot guarantee everyone signing the petition on the original application would have the same view on the new application, which, for example, could have different designs and layout.  

For more information about the petitions process, or to send us a petition, email democratic@hillingdon.gov.uk.