HL Deb 05 April 1995 vol 563 cc23-4WA
Viscount Montgomery of Alamein

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How they intend to respond to the consultation paper entitled Improving the Local Plan Process, published in March 1994.

The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Viscount Ullswater)

The local plan process needs to operate more responsively and efficiently. There must be sound, up-to-date plans in place, capable of speedy review, if the plan-led system is to work well. The Government's aim is—

  1. (1) In the short term, to give more impetus to current plan preparation, in order to achieve the maximum practicable area-wide local plan coverage by the end of 1996; and
  2. (2) in the longer term, to speed up the entire process, so that local authorities are not discouraged from reviewing and updating existing plans because it is too time-consuming and costly.

The consultation paper prompted over 300 responses, which we have carefully considered.

We are already implementing the straightforward proposals, such as those concerned with the better management of the process, in liaison with the local authority associations and the Planning Inspectorate Agency. The inspectorate is taking forward a number of initiatives, such as shorter inspectors' reports, the use of assistant inspectors and the development of advisory services.

In addition, we propose to introduce shortly—

  1. (1) revised planning policy guidance, providing for local planning authorities to carry out more effective consultation on their plans at the pre-deposit stage; and
  2. (2) substantial revision of the department's published code of practice on local plan inquiries, with the aim of helping planning authorities to manage the entire plan-making process more effectively and economically.