Speaking at meetings

We welcome public participation at meetings of the Authority and it's Development Management Committee.  If you wish to speak please follow the instructions below.

At a meeting of the Authority, you may speak on any matter relating to Dartmoor, including matters not specifically on the agenda for that meeting. You can ask a question, make a statement or submit a petition.

At a meeting of the Development Management Committee, you may only speak on a matter on the agenda for that meeting.

Procedure for registering to speak

• You must register to speak at least 24 hours before the meeting starts.
• We need to know your name, your contact telephone number and a brief summary of the matter you want to raise.
• If you’re representing a parish council we will need written confirmation that you are authorised to speak on its behalf.
• Send this information to publicspeaking@dartmoor.gov.uk

Or:
Business Support
Dartmoor National Park Authority
Parke, Bovey Tracey
Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ13 9JQ

Public speaking (Authority)

• Public speaking usually happens near the start of the meeting.
• You will have up to three minutes to read your statement or question.
• If your question needs a written response, you will normally receive this within 14 days.

Public speaking (Development Management Committee)

• You can give your views on any site inspection report, planning application, or monitoring and enforcement matter on the agenda.
• If you wish to speak you must notify us in writing no later than 10am on the day before the meeting.
• We need to know your name, your contact telephone number and a brief summary of the matter you want to raise.
• If you’re representing a parish council we will need written confirmation that you are authorised to speak on its behalf.
• Send this information to publicspeaking@dartmoor.gov.uk

There is a specific order for people addressing the meeting:

1. an authorised representative of a parish council
2. a person objecting to the application (site inspections and applications), or a person supporting legal action (enforcement cases) - one speaker only
3. the applicant or his agent, or a person supporting the application (site inspections and applications) or the landowner, agent or a person opposing legal action (enforcement cases) - one speaker only.

You will be invited to speak for up to three minutes. Your statement should focus on material planning considerations; you can get advice on this from a planning officer beforehand. You will not be able to display or distribute documents, maps, photographs or other written information. If there are two or more related matters on the agenda you will not automatically be entitled to speak for more than three minutes in total. If more than one person wants to speak on the same matter, the chair of the meeting will decide if it is possible to hear more than one presentation.

Members of the committee may ask questions to clarify any points you have made.

After the public statements and any questions, the committee will debate the matter in the normal way with officer advice.

More information

The full details of the process for speaking at meetings is set out in Appendix 8 of the Standing Orders.

We use a process of Standing Orders to regulate our proceedings, meetings and business.