Clause 11. (Hansard, 21 May 1968)

§ Mr. MacDermot
I beg to move Amendment No. 20, in line 9, at end insert: (a) provide for the publicity to be given to the report of any survey carried out fey a local planning authority under section 1 of this Act. Clause 11(1) provides general regulation-making power. In this Amendment we make it clear that the publicity to be given to the report of any survey carried out under Clause 1 can be dealt with by the regulations, as well as publicity for the structure, and local plans, and the procedures with respect to them.

§ Mr. MacDermot
I beg to move Amendment No. 21, in line 20, leave out out from ' replacement' to end of line 22 and insert: (c) provide for notice to be given of the approval, adoption or alteration of any plan to persons who have objected to the plan and have notified the local planning authority of their wish to receive notice, subject (if the regulations so provide) to the payment of a reasonable charge for receiving it. The effect of this Amendment is to include among the subjects particularly mentioned in the Clause, that power to make regulations to provide for notice to be given of the transfer, adoption or alteration of any plan to persons who have objected to the plan, and have notified the local planning authority of their wish to receive that notice, subject, 261 if the regulations so provide, to the payment of a reasonable charge for receiving it. The Amendment is tabled in response to points raised by hon. Members opposite in Committee.

§ Mr. Graham Page
I am grateful to the Minister for tabling this Amendment in response to requests from our side of the Committee. There is one point where it does net go far enough. It provides that notice shall be given to those …. who have objected to the plan and have notified the local planning authority of their wish to receive notice … It is the "and" to which I object. We ought to provide for notice to be given to any one who wishes it, and gives the local planning authority warning that they so desire. If they are prepared to pay a reasonable charge for receiving the notice why should they have to object to the plan and give notice in order to get that information?
I had hoped that there would be some sort of register of those who have informed the authority they wished to receive the notice. It is not only people who object to the plan, but others, who want to know how the plan eventually affects their property. They may approve of it, and may not wish to appear as objectors. I hope that the Minister will put the word "or" in place of the word "and" in another place.

Mr. MacDennot
I will take note of the point raised by the hon. Gentleman.

§ Mr. MacDermot
I beg to move, Amendment No. 22, in line 29, at end insert: and for copies of any such plan or document to be made available on sale '. The effect of this Amendment will be to specify that regulations may be made to provide for the availability for sale of copies of any plan which has been approved, and any documents approved 262 or made altering, repealing or replacing such plans. This is again in response to an Amendment put down by the Opposition.

§ Mr. Graham Page
I would like, to thank the Minister for making provision for something raised by us in Committee. This is a very practical point. Many of us who in practice have had to look at plans in the offices of local planning authorities, know how extremely difficult it is to take in all the details, particularly if they are diagramatic. Here we will have structure plans which are diagramatic as well as written.
I imagine that a structure plan of a local planning authority will be a massive volume. The local plans will be in great detail, which cannot be absorbed and considered by sitting on the corner of a table in a town planning officer's office. If we are able to purchase copies, take them home and study them, it will be of great benefit to the property owner, the developer, the professional man, the architect, surveyor and lawyer. This is one of the most practically useful Amendments we have so far discussed on Report.

§ Mr. MacDermot
In view of the hour, I think that this would be a convenient moment to break off. I understand that I have the concurrence of other hon. Members in this course.
Further consideration of the Bill, as amended, adjourned.—[Mr. MacDermot.]