HC Deb 07 July 1947 vol 439 cc1894-5
Mr. Buchanan

I beg to move 111 page 6, line 22, to leave out "other district," and to insert: neighbouring district or any other local planning authority who appear or the Secretary of State to have an interest in the proper planning of the district concerned Clause 5 (2) provides that where a local planning authority defaults in the preparation or amendment of the development plan, the Secretary of State may, instead of himself making or amending the plan, authorise the local planning authority for any other district to do so. That is in the case of default. This Amendment provides that the other planning authority must be the authority for a neighbouring district. In other words, instead of the Secretary of State exercising these default powers, which I am told have rarely been used, in the case of a local authority default the power is placed on another local authority. Obviously, if such a thing happened in the South of Scotland we should not want an authority in the North of Scotland dealing with it. This is merely to make certain that it will be an authority in the close neighbourhood which will do the job.

Commander Galbraith

We welcome this Amendment, which is as a result of the arguments put forward in Committee by Members on this side of the House. It makes it much clearer, and does away with many misunderstandings.

Mr. Buchanan

I would point out that some Members on this side of the House put forward arguments in favour of this Amendment.

Amendment agreed to.

Further Amendment made: in page 6, line 37, at end, insert: (4) Any expenses incurred by the Secretary of State under this section in connection with the making or amendment of a development plan with respect to the district, or any part of the district, of a local planning authority shall be paid in the first instance out of moneys provided by Parliament, but so much of those expenses as may be certified by the Secretary of State to have been incurred in the performance of functions of that authority shall on demand be repaid by that authority to the Secretary of State. (5) Where, under this section, a development plan or proposals for the amendment of such a plan are authorised to be submitted to the Secretary of State by the local planning authority for any district other than the district in which the land is situated, any expenses reasonably incurred in that behalf by the said authority, as certified by the Secretary of State, shall be repaid to that authority by the local planning authority for the district in which the land is situated."—[Mr. Westwood.]