Joy English · Level C2 · Formal lettersjoy-english.com

A formal letter of objection to a planning application

Name:Date:

Write a formal letter of objection: state your standing, concede what is reasonable, give precise grounds and request a specific action.

Objection to application HB/2291: Millers' Green

14 Linden Row, Harrowby. To: The Planning Officer, Harrowby Borough Council.

Dear Sir or Madam,

Re: Application HB/2291, proposed conversion of Millers' Green into a surface car park

I am writing to register my objection to the above application. I have lived within two hundred metres of the Green for nineteen years, and I write both as a resident and as secretary of the Linden Row Residents' Association.

I appreciate that the town centre has long suffered from congestion, and I do not dispute that additional parking would ease it to some degree. It is, however, difficult to reconcile the applicant's claim that the scheme would enhance the amenity of the area with the loss of the only open space within walking distance of two schools and a care home.

My principal concerns are as follows. First, the transport assessment submitted with the application rests on traffic counts taken during the school holidays and therefore seriously understates likely volumes at peak times. Second, the proposed access road would cross a footpath used daily by several hundred children, a risk that the assessment mentions only in passing. Finally, the loss of eleven mature trees, three of which are protected, is dismissed in a single sentence, with no commitment to replacement planting.

I would respectfully suggest that the Committee defer its decision until the applicant has submitted traffic data gathered during term time and a fuller account of the measures proposed to protect pedestrians. Should the Committee be minded to approve the scheme, I trust that a condition requiring the retention of the protected trees would be attached.

I should be grateful if you would confirm receipt of this letter and inform me of the date on which the application is to be considered, as I wish to address the Committee in person.

Yours faithfully, Nuria Castellanos, Secretary, Linden Row Residents' Association

Choose the best formal option

Choose the most appropriate option for a formal letter of objection.

Which sentence best states the purpose of the letter?
- a) I just wanted to say I am not happy about the plan.
- b) Stop this plan right now.
- c) I am writing to register my objection to the above application.
Which sentence acknowledges the other side before objecting?
- a) I do not dispute that additional parking would ease congestion; it is, however, difficult to justify the loss of the Green.
- b) Parking is of no concern to me and never was.
- c) Everyone knows that parking is a poor excuse for destroying parks.
- d) Congestion is not a problem at all.
The assessment mentions the risk to children only ___.
- a) by passing
- b) at passing
- c) on passing
- d) in passing
It is difficult to ___ the applicant's claim with the loss of the only open space.
- a) settle
- b) reconcile
- c) compromise
- d) adjust
Which expression is closest in meaning to "Should the Committee be minded to approve the scheme"?
- a) Because the Committee must approve the scheme
- b) Unless the Committee approves the scheme
- c) If the Committee were inclined to approve the scheme
- d) Although the Committee has approved the scheme
Which request is both firm and appropriately tentative?
- a) I demand that the Committee reject the application.
- b) I would respectfully suggest that the Committee defer its decision.
- c) The Committee must defer its decision.
Which sentence is best for the final paragraph?
- a) Get back to me when you can, OK?
- b) I should be grateful if you would confirm receipt of this letter.
- c) Please do not ignore this letter like the last one.

Complete the formal phrases

Type one word, or the form in brackets, to complete each sentence.

I am writing to ___ my objection to the above application.
I do not ___ that additional parking would ease congestion.
The transport assessment rests ___ traffic counts taken during the school holidays.
The counts seriously ___ likely volumes at peak times. (understate)
I trust that a condition ___ the retention of the protected trees would be attached. (require)
Should the Committee be ___ to approve the scheme, I trust that conditions would be attached.
Dear Sir or Madam, ... Yours ___,

Writing task

A trust that manages a small local museum plans to replace its reading room with a café. You use the reading room regularly. Write a formal letter to the Chair of the trust, Mr Adeyemi, objecting to the plan. State who you are, concede one reasonable point, give two or three grounds, and request a specific action.

280–340 words

Check your writing

I used a correct greeting and a matching formal closing.
I stated the purpose of my letter in the first paragraph and said why I am entitled to comment.
I conceded one reasonable point before objecting.
I gave two or three grounds in a clear order.
I requested a specific action in a polite but firm way.
I avoided contractions, exclamation marks and emotional language.

Answer key

Choose the best formal option

c) I am writing to register my objection to the above application.This is the standard formal opening, direct but polite. The others are informal or abrupt.
a) I do not dispute that additional parking would ease congestion; it is, however, difficult to justify the loss of the Green.It concedes a fair point first and then raises the objection. The other options dismiss or exaggerate.
d) in passingIn passing is the fixed phrase meaning briefly or without attention.
b) reconcileReconcile something with something means to make two apparently opposed things consistent.
c) If the Committee were inclined to approve the schemeShould + subject + be minded to is a formal conditional meaning if the Committee were inclined to.
b) I would respectfully suggest that the Committee defer its decision.Would respectfully suggest is polite and still clearly states what the writer wants.
b) I should be grateful if you would confirm receipt of this letter.It makes a courteous, practical request. The others are informal or accusatory.

Complete the formal phrases

register / lodge / voice / express / raise / submit / record / stateThese verbs all collocate with objection in a formal letter; register and lodge are the most usual.
dispute / deny / doubt / question / contest / challengeDo not dispute means accept as true; the sentence then turns to what the writer does dispute.
on / uponRest on (or upon) means be based on.
understate / underestimate / understated / underestimatedUnderstate means to represent something as smaller than it is. Counts is plural, so use understate, not understates (the past form understated also works).
requiringThe participle clause requiring ... describes the condition.
minded / inclined / disposed / prepared / willingBe minded to, be inclined to, be disposed to and be prepared to all mean be willing to do something.
faithfullyA letter beginning Dear Sir or Madam closes with Yours faithfully in British English.

Model answer

Dear Mr Adeyemi,

Re: Proposed conversion of the reading room into a café

I am writing to express my concern at the trust's plan to replace the museum's reading room with a café. I have used the room at least twice a week for six years, and I write as a member of the museum and as a volunteer who helps to catalogue the local archive.

I understand that the museum must find new sources of income, and I do not doubt that a café would attract additional visitors. It is, however, hard to see how the scheme can be reconciled with the trust's stated aim of promoting local history, since the reading room is the only place where the public may consult the town records and photograph collection.

My objections are threefold. First, the plans offer no alternative space for the archive, which would be placed in storage and available only by appointment. Second, the room's quiet is essential to those who work there, many of whom are elderly or students who cannot study at home. Finally, the figures quoted in the consultation paper assume that the café will be profitable within a year, but they include no allowance for the cost of refitting a listed building.

I would therefore respectfully ask that the trust postpone its decision until a full financial assessment has been published and the views of regular users have been sought. I would also suggest that the trustees consider placing the café in the former entrance hall, which is currently unused.

I should be grateful if you would acknowledge this letter and let me know when the matter will be discussed, as several readers would wish to attend.

Yours sincerely, Tobias Lindgren