§ 52. Sir J. Langford-Holtasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make a statement on the delays arising from belated decisions on planning reports made to him by his inspectors relative to the Shrewsbury District Council area; how many decisions he has made since October 1974; how many he has approved; how many he has rejected; how many are still outstanding; and what have been the three longest delays.
§ Mr. Guy BarnettMy right hon. Friend is always seeking ways of reducing the time taken to decide planning appeals. But we can find no reason to take special steps to deal with reports for this council's area. The general situation seems little different from that prevailing nationally. Since October 1974 he has decided 10 appeals in Shrewsbury and Atcham borough: one of these was allowed and nine dismissed. One inspector's report is still being considered. The three longest periods to consider the reports were 15, 16 and 20 weeks.