§ Lord Trefgarneasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the proposed new Surrey County Hall at Woking requires planning permission; and, if so, from whom. [HL4498]
§ Lord RookerI understand that Surrey County Council's preferred option for the potential relocation of its County Hall is to a site in the Woking area. The relocation of County Hall would require planning permission. Surrey County Council has confirmed that Woking Borough Council would be the local planning authority that would determine any planning application for Surrey's new County Hall if the county council decide to relocate to Woking. However, the planning application may have to be referred to the First Secretary of State if the local planning authority proposed to grant planning permission for a development that would not accord with the development plan. If this were the case, the First Secretary of State would then consider whether the proposal raises any planning issues of more than local importance which might justify his intervention.