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C2 Writing

C2Formal letters35 min

A formal letter of objection to a planning application

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

A formal letter of objection is addressed to an official body, such as a planning committee, and aims to persuade it to act. It must establish who you are and why you are entitled to comment, state your position at once, acknowledge any legitimate aim behind the proposal, set out your grounds clearly and in order of importance, and request a specific outcome. The register is courteous, precise and impersonal; emotion is conveyed through the strength of the reasoning rather than through strong adjectives.

Model text

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

Useful language

StageFormal languagePurpose
Reason for writingI am writing to register my objection to ... / I wish to lodge a formal objection to ...States position immediately
StandingI write both as a resident and as ...Shows why the writer is entitled to comment
ConcessionI do not dispute that ... It is, however, difficult to reconcile ... with ...Acknowledges the proposal's aim, then challenges it
GroundsMy principal concerns are as follows. First, ... Second, ... Finally, ...Orders the argument clearly
RequestI would respectfully suggest that the Committee defer ... / Should the Committee be minded to ...Asks for action without commanding
ClosingI should be grateful if you would confirm receipt ... / Yours faithfully,Ends courteously with a practical request

Exercise 1 of 2

Choose the best formal option

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

  1. Which sentence best states the purpose of the letter?

  2. Which sentence acknowledges the other side before objecting?

  3. The assessment mentions the risk to children only _____.

  4. It is difficult to _____ the applicant's claim with the loss of the only open space.

  5. Which expression is closest in meaning to "Should the Committee be minded to approve the scheme"?

  6. Which request is both firm and appropriately tentative?

  7. Which sentence is best for the final paragraph?

0 of 7 answered

Exercise 2 of 2

Complete the formal phrases

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

  1. I am writing to my objection to the above application.

  2. I do not that additional parking would ease congestion.

  3. The transport assessment rests traffic counts taken during the school holidays.

  4. The counts seriously likely volumes at peak times. (understate)

  5. I trust that a condition the retention of the protected trees would be attached. (require)

  6. Should the Committee be to approve the scheme, I trust that conditions would be attached.

  7. Dear Sir or Madam, ... Yours ,

0 of 7 answered

Your turn

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.

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Sample 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

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Source

Original lesson by Joy English.

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