Threatening letter

Thank you everyone for your valued advice. I've told my family and close neighbours about the letter and their first instincts were to 'go and sort him out!' (especially the males!). But that's not a good idea obviously.

The letter picked out various lines in my objection, taking them completely out of context or deliberately misinterpreting them, which makes it all so stupid. As for the privacy issue, I read the council's policy and apparently the contents of my objection can be in put the public domain, but definitely not my private details. In fact a lovely councillor contacted myself and my neighbour and offered to represent us at the planning appeal in order to keep our identities private, because this bully is well known to them. Apparently his behaviour was very aggressive and threatening at the appeal too.

I've thought all weekend about dialling 101 to speak to the police about it, but I'm not able to speak to anyone yet without getting tearful! Silly I know but this has come after recently losing my 97 year old mum and then my cat, so I'm not feeling very strong at the moment. I will take your advice though and contact them. Thank you all again.

I think you ought to speak to the Police about it.

If he's known as a bully, your neighbours are likely to be on your side.

I hope you don't keep feeling you have to move. It is expensive for one thing and, more importantly, why should you?

By the way Willow, you did not make stupid mistake of sending an email to my council planning dept.. You have a democratic right to express your objections to any planning issue that affects you and a right not to be bullied and intimidated by anyone who thinks differently to you.

Our council publishes all letters of objection/support for local applications on its planning portal with the application.

My instinct would be to take it to the police, who may well have previous on him and then send him a polite note thanking him for his note, which you have given to the police, and warn him that you will be keeping a dossier of any further attempts to bully or intimidate you.

Gilly I thought OP's name may have cropped up somewhere and been pounced upon. It's even possible that it was known locally that OP - and others - had been vocal about objecting, just in general gossip chitchat in a local shop etc.

All councils set their own policies regarding how much information the make public re objections to planning applications. You can check your own councils policy on their website and see if they have breached their own policy.

If it says objections will be made public they haven’t breached data protection and nor has he in distributing it.

What did he actually say that was threatening? What is it in your objection that he thinks needs an apology? Has he detailed that? He can’t ask for an apology for making an objection.

The millions of people we didn't marry?

Blimey you must've been very popular Elegran

On our planning portal we can't see the letters of objection, but we can see a list of people who have commented (and whether they were in favour, against or neutral. He could find your address once he had your name.

I think the planning department need to know that the applicant is communicating directly and aggressively with someone who has made a perfectly legitimate objection. His threat may be legal, but it is still a threat, and demanding an apology for carrying out your entitlement - and even your duty to point out something against his plan - is just plain bullying. Does he think we should send a written apology to the MP we didn't vote for? The seller whose inferior goods we didn't buy? The millions of people we didn't marry?

Ours just gives the details of the objection but not the personal details of the person making the objection, although as I said earlier, this may be blatantly obvious anyway . I assumed all councils were the same.

Anyway as others have said a threatening letter is serious so the police should be informed.

On our council website we can see who makes objections and what they say.

You must report the letter to the police!

I was told that the details of the objection was made public but not the personal details of the person objecting. Not relevant obviously if the nature of the objections gives your details away anyway (next door or whatever).

Well he's got to be pretty stupid to write a threatening letter, providing great evidence of his disgusting behaviour.
Keep a copy of it (just to be sure you have one to keep) and then let the police see the original. He needs to be seen and told to leave you alone.

After googling the question it seems that names and addresses of objectors are online as part of the application.

Any planning objections are available to view online or by a visit to the planning office.
Show the letter to the police immediately; you have good evidence of threats and intimidation.
Visit the Planning Department and ask to discuss the matter with an official, and inform your local district councillor.
The planning department need to know what is being threatened by the applicant.
You were not foolish to raise an objection to the felling of a tree; don't let it stop you from expressing your opinions in future.

Without knowing the contents of his letter to you it is difficult to see if any criminal law has been breached.you mentioned threatening language from him however if that was only in terms of a threat of legal action against you, then that would not be illegal; after all anyone is entitled to go to law
however if verbal abuse or threats of intimidation are in the letter that might be a different matter.
You may also take out a civil injunction if the police can’t act, but either way it’s a horrid situation to be in.

When we objected to a local planning proposal it was all published on the council website. Nothing secret.
Take this letter to the Police. Please let us know how it goes though. Do your family and neighbours know that this has happened?

Planning objections are public, but not the personal details of who has made them.

But how would he know where to send them Squiffy?

Someone, somewhere has obviously passed on Willows details

Willow10 Do you think it's possible that he's bluffing about having your details passed on to him? He may have sent similar threatening letters to other people as well.

It may be that he has worded his letter in a way which is not legally considered threatening but the only way you will know is if you take it to the police.

Is there anything about your objection which could be deemed to be untrue by him? Why do you think he has circulated your letter but no others? The Planning Department can advise you on whether he should have a copy or not.

When our neighbours were planning to sell their house to a developer so he could demolish it and replace with 5 houses we objected and took a copy of the objection round to the neighbour. We felt that this was a reasonable thing to do but they didn't like it. We explained that if the situation was reversed they would do the same and we were just being neighbourly by showing them the objection. The permission was granted and the new houses built, it was unpleasant while the building was going on but fine afterwards.

Also as others have said, a threatening letter is a police matter and you should contact them ASAP .

That’s terrible willow10 and j can understand you “not wanting to live there anymore”

By objecting you have behaved perfectly legally and reasonably . You have every right to raise an objection . The council should not have discussed your personal details with this “bully” or anyone else but they are perfectly entitled to publish the wording of your objection removing your name, address, email and phone number etc. Do you think that someone in the council has deliberately leaked your details to him ? Would the wording of your objection make it obvious who had raised the objection? (for example the tree directly opposite my house) .

I'd report him to the police regarding his threats but I think planning objections are viewed online by anyone who has the planning reference number.

Report him also to the police.