§ 21. Mr. Evelyn Kingasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will withdraw paragraph 8 of circular 53/67, in view of the fact that, in certain circumstances, it encourages local authorities to require detailed plans and specifications of a proposed house instead of initially giving outline consent and requiring detailed plans thereafter.
§ Mr. Graham PageNo, Sir. The advice in the circular refers only to development in conservation areas and to the formal stages. It should of course sometimes be possible in informal discussions for applicants to be told whether there are likely to be objections of principle.
§ Mr. KingIs not the effect of this to add further frustration and further cost? Is it not the case that the cost may well run into four figures for the developer? Is not the effect of this in its turn to add even more to the costs of a house which are already high enough? Is it not common sense to decide first whether a house can be built and thereafter to ask for detailed plans?
§ Mr. PageThe circular recognises only the special qualities of areas selected by local planning authorities as conservation areas, and in conservation areas the principle of the development of a site cannot be separated from questions of detailed design and appearance.