The Planning Development and Infrastructure Committee of The Highland Council has published a new newsletter for Community Councils called "Planning Matters", the same heading used in the current WCC Newsletter.
The first issue Oct 2014 is available in the Library menu on the left. Page 5 of the eight page newsletter shows the short time scale available to Community Councils to respond to planning applications. The public can also respond on the council website at http://wam.highland.gov.uk/wam/ which is on the back page of the June 2014 WCC Newsletter.
There is a helpful list of some of the 'material planning issues' that are relevant on page 6 and it is worth consulting these for the correct terms to use, as well as matters that are not material considerations.
Page 7 has information on the Tellme Scotland public information website at http://www.tellmescotland.gov.uk/ It is a portal for accessing public information notices issued by local authorities across Scotland.