§ Mr. Franksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will introduce legislation to require all planning application decisions in local government to be subject to elected member control and determination and to prohibit planning applications being decided by paid officials acting alone under delegated powers;
(2) if he will introduce legislation declaring null and void local government planning application decisions which have been determined by paid officials acting alone under delegated powers;
(3) what information he has as to how many local authorities delegate the power to decide planning applications to one or more officials of the authorities; and if he will identify the local authorities.
§ Mrs. RumboldMy Department has no information on the number of local authorities which delegate to officers the power to decide planning applications.
Delegation to officers has advantages for the speedy handling of applications; the extent and circumstances of deregulation are, however, matters for each authority to decide for itself.
§ Mr. Franksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to require local government planning authorities to publish in the minutes of relevent meetings the reasons for their refusal of individual planning applications.
§ Mrs. RumboldLocal planning authorities are already required by article 7 of the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1977 to state reasons for their decision in the notice to the applicant of their decision on a planning application.
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§ Mr. Franksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation requiring local government planning authorities to circulate to members of the appropriate committees full details of all objections lodged to individual planning applications and to prohibit the practice of officials being allowed to summarise objections at their discretion.
§ Mrs. RumboldNo. Whether or not an officer summarises objections for the benefit of members is a question of the internal management of the council's business which members must decide.
§ Mr. Franksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will introduce legislation requiring minutes of planning committees and sub-committees of planning committees to be available for public inspection within seven days of the relevant meeting;
(2) if he will introduce legislation allowing applicants and objectors to planning applications the right to be present at relevant meetings where their applications or objections are being considered;
(3) if he will introduce legislation requiring all planning application decisions to be made in public, with the Press and the public able to attend the relevant meetings;
(4) what information he has as to how many local authorities exclude the press and public from meetings when planning application decisions are made; and if he will identify such local authorities;
(5) what information he has as to how many local government planning authorities delegate planning applications to sub-committees which meet with the press and public excluded; and if he will identify such authorities.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe information requested is not available. The Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 which comes into force on 1 April 1986 provides, subject only to specific statutory exceptions, for access by both the public and the press to council, committee and sub-committee meetings and for the minutes of such meetings to be open to public inspection.
§ Mr. Franksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation allowing objectors to planning applications which are granted to make representations to him within 28 days of the planning permission being granted and providing for planning permissions not to be operative during this 28 day period or until he has considered any such representations, whichever is the later.
§ Mrs. RumboldNo. Such legislation would conflict with the presumption, reiterated in circular 14/85, in favour of allowing development unless it would cause demonstrable harm to interests of acknowledged importance; and, in making the Secretary of State the ultimate arbiter of the 86 per cent. of planning applications which are approved by local planning authorities, it would greatly increase costs and delay.