Public · free template

Planning Objection Form

Two-page comment on a planning application: the reference, whether the comment supports or objects, the planning grounds and the effect on the resident.

A ready-to-use government & public sector form for councils, agencies and public bodies: 15 questions, 2 pages, 3 conditional rules.

Questions
15
Pages
2
Layouts
classic · card
Time to complete
≈ 6 min
Conditional rules
3
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Live preview and test console

This is the real form. Answer it to test the 1 conditional rule — nothing is sent or stored.

Page 1 of 2 — The application and you

Which application you are commenting on

About you

What is your connection to the site?
Do you support or object?

Every question on this page is currently visible.

Compliance checklist

Ready to publish
  • Payment items priced — passingEvery payment question charges a real amount, so a submission always records a payment.
  • Conditional logic resolves — passingEvery rule points at a question or page that exists in this template.
  • Legal text not required — passingThis template collects neither health nor regulated financial information.
  • Question labels unique — passingLogic and exports address questions by label, so duplicates are ambiguous.

What happens after submit: nothing is stored in this preview. On your own copy, every response triggers an instant email notification and lands in your response dashboard, ready to export or forward.

Happy with it? Take a copy into your workspace — every question, rule and setting comes with it.

Who this template is for

Planning Objection Form is built for councils, agencies and public bodies who need to run a public request or application to a consistent standard.

  • Councils, agencies and public bodies working in government & public sector.
  • Teams who need to run a public request or application to a consistent standard without writing code or paying for a custom build.
  • Anyone replacing paper forms that are slow to process and hard to audit with one structured record per enquiry.
  • Respondents are residents and applicants — the form asks them 15 questions across 2 screens.
  • Mobile-heavy audiences, thanks to the one-question-per-screen card layout.

Why this form is useful

It removes the cost of paper forms that are slow to process and hard to audit and turns each submission into a record your team can act on immediately.

  • 9 questions are required, so submissions arrive complete instead of needing a follow-up email.
  • It collects a verified email address so replies and confirmations land.
  • It captures a phone number for urgent follow-up.
  • It accepts a document or photo upload as evidence.
  • It captures a full postal address.
  • It allows multiple selections without free text.
  • Conditional logic hides 3 questions until they are relevant — shorter forms convert better than long ones.
  • Splitting the form across 2 pages keeps each screen short and shows respondents how much is left.

How to use this template

From copy to live form is a few minutes of work, and every step is reversible.

  1. 1Press “Use this template” — a fresh copy of Planning Objection Form lands in your workspace, ready to edit.
  2. 2Rename or delete any question, and change what is required. Nothing here is fixed.
  3. 3Open Notifications and add the email addresses that should be alerted on each submission; add an auto-reply to the respondent if the form collects an email address.
  4. 4Check the upload limits on the file question so respondents can attach what you actually need.
  5. 5Publish it, then either share the link directly or paste the embed snippet into your site — the embedded form resizes to fit and loads no marketing or advertising trackers.
  6. 6Watch responses land in Submissions, where you can filter, label and export them to CSV or PDF.

Logic and conditions blueprint

Exactly how this form behaves as it is answered — 3 conditional rules ship with it.

  • Features conditional validation: if “Do you support or object?” is I object, “Which planning grounds are you raising?” becomes mandatory before the form can be sent.
  • Features conditional validation: if “Would you like to speak at committee?” is Yes, “Contact number for the committee clerk” becomes mandatory before the form can be sent.
  • Features advanced show logic: if “What is your connection to the site?” is I live next door or opposite, the form dynamically exposes “How would the proposal affect your property?”. Otherwise that question never appears.
  • All 3 rules are editable in the Logic tab, and the built-in checker warns about rules that contradict each other.

About this template

Comments on a planning application are only useful to a committee when they say which application they concern and what the objection actually rests on. This two-page form asks both without patronising anyone. The first page takes the application reference and the site address, the commenter's name and address — because a planning authority normally treats comments as public and must know whether someone is a neighbour — and whether they support, object or are simply commenting. The second page separates two things people usually mix together: the planning grounds they want considered, offered as a list covering matters like overlooking, scale, traffic, parking, noise, drainage and loss of light, and then a free-text explanation in their own words. A separate question asks how the proposal would affect them specifically, which is what officers quote in reports. It also asks whether they wish to speak at committee. What weight a comment carries is decided under local policy, so the form does not promise any outcome.

What this form asks

Every question is editable — rename it, make it optional, or delete it entirely.

Page 1 — The application and you

  • Planning application referencerequired
  • Site address
  • Your full namerequired
  • Your address
  • Email addressrequired
  • What is your connection to the site?required
  • Do you support or object?required

Page 2 — Your comments

  • Which planning grounds are you raising?
  • Explain your comments in your own wordsrequired
  • How would the proposal affect your property?
  • Have you commented on an earlier application for this site?required
  • Would you like to speak at committee?required
  • Contact number for the committee clerk
  • Upload photos or a plan marked up with your points
  • Confirmationrequired

15 questions in total.

Example of a completed planning objection form

This sample shows how a neighbour raises a comment on a planning application.

Planning application reference
APP/2026/0417
Site address
2 Willowbank Close, Oxford
Your full name
Ian Postlethwaite
What is your connection to the site?
Neighbouring resident
Do you support or object?
Object
Which planning grounds are you raising?
Loss of light and overlooking
Explain your comments in your own words
The proposed second storey would overlook our garden and reduce light to our kitchen.
How would the proposal affect your property?
Less natural light in the mornings
Would you like to speak at committee?
No

Sample data — no real people, addresses or records are shown.

How the form changes as it's filled in

This template ships with 3 conditional rules, grouped into 3 behaviours driven by 3 questions. Everything below is already set up — edit or delete any rule once the template is in your workspace.

Driven by “Do you support or object?”

  • Makes answers required

    If “Do you support or object?” is I object, “Which planning grounds are you raising?” becomes required before the form can be submitted.

Driven by “Would you like to speak at committee?”

  • Makes answers required

    If “Would you like to speak at committee?” is Yes, “Contact number for the committee clerk” becomes required before the form can be submitted.

Driven by “What is your connection to the site?”

  • Reveals questions

    If “What is your connection to the site?” is I live next door or opposite, the form reveals “How would the proposal affect your property?”.

Set it up step by step

  1. 1

    Require the application reference

    A comment without a reference cannot be attached to a file, and it is the one field a resident can copy straight from your website.

  2. 2

    Offer grounds as a checklist

    Most people know what bothers them but not which planning terms it maps to, and the list does that translation without telling them what to think.

  3. 3

    Say that comments are published

    The confirmation checkbox is fairer than a footnote, because a resident should know before they type their address.

  4. 4

    Keep the free-text box open

    Officers quote residents' own words in reports, so never replace the explanation field with tick boxes alone.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Restricting the form to objections, so supportive comments have nowhere to go and the record looks one-sided.
  • Hiding the fact that comments are published until after submission.
  • Promising that an objection will stop a proposal, which no form can do.

What it pairs with

Most teams don't run this form on its own. These are the forms and systems it sits next to.

What to do with the responses

Attach each comment to the application record, pass speaking requests to the committee clerk, and confirm receipt with the reference so residents know it arrived.

Works in both layouts

Browse classic templatesBrowse card templates

Forms that overlap this one

These pages cover the same subject ground as the planning objection form, matched on the words people actually search for.

Frequently asked questions

Is an anonymous comment accepted?

That depends on your authority; many require a name and address to weigh a comment. Say which applies above the form rather than rejecting submissions afterwards.

How is this different from a consultation survey?

The Public Consultation Survey gathers views on a policy or scheme. This form comments on one specific application and carries its reference number.

Does objecting stop the application?

No. Comments are considered under local planning policy alongside everything else, and the decision belongs to the authority or its committee.

Can a residents' group use it?

Yes. The connection question includes representing a group, which is how officers know a comment speaks for more than one household.

Is the Planning Objection Form template free to use?

Yes. You can preview and test Planning Objection Form on this page without an account, and take a copy into your own HelloForms workspace on the free plan. There is nothing to install and no card required to publish it.

What does the Planning Objection Form template ask for?

It asks 15 questions across 2 pages, 9 of which are required. Every question is listed in full further down this page, and each one can be renamed, reordered, made optional or deleted after you copy the template.

Can I edit the Planning Objection Form form after copying it?

Yes — the copy is entirely yours. Change wording, add or remove questions, switch between the classic and card layouts, restyle it to match your brand, and set who gets notified on each submission.

How does the conditional logic in this government & public sector form work?

3 conditional rules ship with the template: Features conditional validation: if “Do you support or object?” is I object, “Which planning grounds are you raising?” becomes mandatory before the form can be sent. Features conditional validation: if “Would you like to speak at committee?” is Yes, “Contact number for the committee clerk” becomes mandatory before the form can be sent. Features advanced show logic: if “What is your connection to the site?” is I live next door or opposite, the form dynamically exposes “How would the proposal affect your property?”. Otherwise that question never appears. All rules are editable in the Logic tab.

Where do responses to the Planning Objection Form form go?

Submissions land in your workspace under Submissions, where you can search, filter, label and export them to CSV or PDF. You can also email a notification to your team on every submission and send the respondent an auto-reply.

Can I embed the Planning Objection Form form on my own website?

Yes. Publish the form and paste the embed snippet into any page or share the direct link. The embedded form resizes to fit its container and loads no advertising or marketing trackers inside the iframe.

Can respondents upload files?

Yes. This template includes a file upload question, so respondents can attach documents or photos with their answers. You can adjust the accepted file types and size limits on that question.

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