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Getting ready for the hearing

The council will tell you the date and time of the hearing at least 10 working days beforehand. You can start getting ready well before then, preparing and practising your statement, and gathering your evidence. Nothing beats preparation for getting your point across on the day.

It is a good idea to prepare a written statement to read out at the hearing. Identify the key points you want to get across, and back them up in your statement.
Practise reading out your statement. You want to get it right and to look confident and comfortable. Practising will make sure you do.
Think about what questions the hearing committee might ask you, and how you can answer them.
Go to a council hearing beforehand to see how it works and get a feel for the process. You don't want surprises on the day.
At least 5 working days before the hearing, you'll get a copy of the council officer's report about the proposed plan, plan change or variation. Make sure you read it before the hearing.
Think about what's in the report. Is there anything you want to deal with in your statement?

Pre-hearing meetings

You might also be invited to a pre-hearing meeting. Other submitters, and the applicant for private plan change, and the council officer who reported on the proposed plan, variation or plan change may also attend the pre-hearing meeting.

A pre-hearing meeting can be a useful way to try and sort out issues before a hearing in a relatively informal setting. Council may invite you to a pre-hearing meeting but, although pre-hearing meetings can be helpful, you don’t have to attend.

Everyone at the hearing will get a copy of a report about what went on at the pre-hearing meeting including the issues that were agreed on and those that are outstanding. The hearing committee must have regard to the report in making their decisions.

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