Public Access is occasionally down for maintenance. If the system is not working, please check back at a later time.
Public Access is our online service that makes it possible for you to search for current and past planning applications and planning appeals view information, plans and related documents.
You can search and view the information freely.
The planning application process allows you to comment on an application, usually within a consultation period of three weeks.
In order to comment you will need to register. Comments made including name and address submitted, can be seen by Councillors, the applicant and members of the public, although they are not currently published online.
Personal details such as your telephone number, email address and signature will be removed but your name and address will form part of the statutory planning register which is available publicly.
When you register you will also be able to:
- to take an active part in the decision making process you must meet the deadline
- track the progress of applications
- receive notifications/updates
- save your searches
To comment on a current Planning Appeal please visit the Planning Portal.
Planning history - to gain access to information not available within PublicAccess.
The information available in PublicAccess does not represent a formal notification of a planning decision and must not be used as a substitute for carrying out a formal land charges search.
Using PublicAccess for planning indicates that you have read understood and agree to the following:
System requirements
PublicAccess is compatible with the following internet browsers:
- Internet Explorer 6 or above
- FireFox 3.3
- Google Chrome
- the use of other internet browsers/versions may result in limited functionality
- alternatively, you can use our public computers available at the Civic Centre or your local library
You will need a recent version of Adobe Reader to:
- view plans and documents
- scale and measure from plans
Copyright
- plans, drawings and material submitted to us are protected by Section 47 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
- you may only download and/or printed information for consultation purposes. To compare current applications with previous and to check whether developments have been completed in line with approved plans
- additional copies must not be made without the prior permission of the copyright owner
Data Protection
All information will be dealt with in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
When you submit an application to us:
- we will add your application to the public register (PublicAccess)
- your application will be available for public inspection online through PublicAccess
- the information you provide will be used to decide your application and will be sent to the Planning Inspectorate if you appeal against our decision.
When you make a comment:
- views/comments along with your name and address form part of the Statutory Planning Register but are not available to view online through PublicAccess
- views/comments are publically available upon request
- any comments/views received will be taken into account when deciding the application (unless they are anonymous) and will be sent to the Planning Inspectorate in the event of an Appeal
- personal details of your telephone number, email address and signature will be removed from your comment
- name and address submitted with a comment can be seen by Councillors, the applicant and members of the public as they form part of the planning register, as specified above, although these are not currently published online
Licence agreement for access to national and/or authority datasets
The PublicAccess website is owned and operated by Southend-on-Sea City Council.
Set out below are the terms and conditions which, together with any legal notices displayed elsewhere on this PublicAccess website, represent all the terms and conditions on which we will provide you with access to the datasets created by Local Government Information House Limited (the “National Datasets”) and/or the datasets compiled and maintained by Southend-on-Sea City Council (the “Authority Datasets”) associated with the use of the National Land and Property Gazetteer and the National Street Gazetteer.
Your continued use of the PublicAccess website indicates your acceptance to be bound by these terms and conditions. If you do not agree to be bound by these terms and conditions, please stop using the PublicAccess website.
The terms and conditions for this licence agreement are:
- The National and/or Authority datasets are associated with the use of the National Land and Property Gazetteer and the National Street Gazetteer. Information displayed throughout the PublicAccess website is extracted from a copyright work owned by the Local Government Information House Limited and Southend-on-Sea City Council.
- A single screen print of the results of a search of the National and/or Authority datasets is permitted for your own use.
- You may not extract or re-utilise information derived from the National and/or Authority datasets and/or any copies of such information (whether electronic or in hard copy format) for any commercial or business purpose including but not limited to, trading, building commercial databases, reselling or redistribution of such information.
- You are not permitted to modify, adapt, arrange, alter, adjust or make any additions to any information derived from the National and/or Authority datasets, nor are you permitted to combine such information with other mapping, data or other information, including for the avoidance of doubt, other such information derived from this website.
- Save as permitted by paragraph 2 above, the reproduction, copying, downloading, storage, recording, broadcasting, retransmission, distribution, decompilation, reverse-engineering or disassembly of any part of this PublicAccess website is not permitted without our prior written consent.
- It is your responsibility to ensure that any information derived from the National and/or Authority datasets is not made available, either in electronic unencrypted form or in hard copy format, to any third party that may attempt to use the map in contravention of these terms and conditions.
- You must inform us immediately if you become aware of a third party using information derived from the National and/or Authority datasets in contravention of these terms and conditions or of any infringement of trademarks located on the PublicAccess website.
- We shall have no liability to any person or organisation in respect of any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from the use of the information contained on this PublicAccess website.
- We take every reasonable effort to ensure that information contained on this PublicAccess website is as accurate as possible. However, the services featured on this PublicAccess website are provided 'as is’, and all warranties, conditions and other terms implied by statute or common law are, to the fullest extent permitted by law, excluded. We shall not be liable to you for any indirect or consequential loss (whether for loss of profit, loss of business, deletion of goodwill or otherwise), costs, expense or other claims for consequential compensation whatsoever (howsoever caused) which arise out of or in connection with your use of the PublicAccess website.