§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he collects statistics on the length of time taken by London borough local authorities to reach planning decisions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeThe Department collects and publishes quarterly statistics on development control performance of local planning authorities in England. The table shows the number of planning decisions issued by London borough councils in the first quarter of 1988 (the latest priod for which figures are available), and the percentage of those decisions issued within eight weeks and within 13 weeks of the application being received. Five authorities failed to provide the relevant information. The Government believes that local planning authorities should be able to decide 80 per cent. of all planning applications within eight weeks.
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London boroughs: Planning decisions in the 1st quarter of 1988 Planning authority Total decisions Percentage within eight weeks Percentage within thirteen weeks Barking and Dagenham 196 74 90 Barnet 947 39 72 Bexley 568 26 78 Brent 641 36 62 Bromley 768 75 92 Camden 562 17 37 City of London 152 35 58 City of Westminster 1,458 19 35 Croydon 760 28 60 Ealing 648 4 9 Enfield — — — Greenwich 254 57 81 Hackney 224 36 58 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,083 33 55 Haringey — — — Harrow 533 46 77 Havering 605 33 59 Hillingdon 599 27 50 Hounslow 462 56 82 Islington 322 25 39 Kensington and Chelsea 593 51 78 Kingston upon Thames 455 33 62 Lambeth 357 30 47 Lewisham — — — Merton 328 54 86 Newham 449 39 59 Redbridge 606 31 57
Planning authority Total decisions Percentage within eight weeks Percentage within thirteen weeks Richmond upon Thames 855 67 78 Southwark 369 46 69 Sutton — — — Tower Hamlets 331 18 53 Waltham Forest — — — Wandsworth 542 20 62