§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make the water companies statutory consultees in respect of planning applications. [16993]
§ Angela EagleUnder Planning Policy Guidance note 12, "Development Plans and Regional Planning Guidance", local planning authorities should consult all infrastructure providers, including water companies, when preparing their development plans. This process seeks to ensure that development does not exceed the capacity of existing or planned water supply systems. We will give further consideration to the need to consult on the impact of proposed development on water demand in our forthcoming revisions of PPG12 and the system of regional planning guidance. In the light of these arrangements, we see no need to make water companies statutory consultees in relation to individual planning applications.