§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will specify the circumstances in which under existing legislation local authorities are legally required to give personal notice to householders or other neighbours of planning applications submitted to the local authority in respect of land or premises adjoining their property which might, if granted, reduce the value of their property or otherwise cause them nuisance or annoyance; and whether he intends to widen the categories of compulsory personal notification.
§ Mr. John SilkinThere is no statutory requirement for local planning authorities to give individual householders or neighbours personal notification of the receipt of planning applications which may affect them. Department of the Environment Circular 71/73 gave authorities advice about discretionary publicity to development proposals.
As my right hon. Friend said in his statement on the Dobry Report on 12th November, he has no proposals to introduce any new publicity requirements, other than to provide that local authorities' own development proposals shall receive the same publicity as an equivalent application.