The remit of each Township Planning Sub Committee is to deal with matters of development control (planning). The Committee can grant permission, with appropriate conditions if necessary, or refuse permission.  When making a decision, the Council must give adequate reasons for its decision based on relevant planning issues. Alternatively, the committee may decide to approve any application, or for larger applications or applications affecting local residents, they refer these to the Regulatory Committee for a final decision.

All Township Planning Committee meetings are open for the public to attend, if there is more than one objector to the application then normally the Chairman of the Committee will allow only one person to speak in view of the limited time available (5 Minutes per side). Consequently objectors may get together to make a joint case covering all the points that each individual wishes to make. The applicant will also have the opportunity to address the Committee after the objectors have put their views. The members of the Committee may ask questions of each speaker after they have spoken. The Committee members will then debate the merits of the application and make a decision.