Planning Applications (Hansard, 20 June 1973)

§ Mr. Sydney Chapman
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he is aware that there are cases of local planning authorities failing to give applicants notices of decisions on planning applications until a month after such a decision has been made; and if, consequently, he will seek powers to impose a limit of three days for the provision of such notices;
(2) if he will introduce legislation to amend Sections 41 and 42 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971 as necessary, so that limits of the duration of a planning permission shall be calculated from the date the local planning authority informs the applicant of the permission, instead of from the date the permission is granted.

§ Mr. Graham Page
While time between a decision being reached and its issue should be as short as possible I do not think it would be useful to impose a limit of three days for the issue of decisions. I intend, however, to bring this matter to the attention of planning authorities in a forthcoming circular. I am also considering the case for providing that the effective date of the permission shall be the date of issue.

§ Mr. Sydney Chapman
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to amend the 125W Town and Country Planning Act 1971 as necessary to make it obligatory on a local planning authority to give a decision on any planning application within four months of receiving the application.

§ Mr. Graham Page
No. The Circular on streamlining procedures to which I referred in reply to my hon. Friend on 13th June will, however, point to ways in which the time taken to reach planning decisions can be kept to a minimum despite the recent increase in applications.

§ Mr. Sydney Chapman
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is aware that some local planning authorities are refusing to ask applicants to agree to an extension of the statutory two-month period when they think this necessary for consideration of applications, stating that they are not legally required to do so; and if he will issue a circular clarifying the position.

§ Mr. Graham Page
I am aware that some authorities give decisions beyond the two-month period without seeking the applicant's agreement to the extension of the time and that the courts have held such decisions to be valid.